Rising Storm: Book 2
by Jack Storm 448
Summary: Jack Storm is getting closer to the truth; with his loving brother and faithful team beside him, what could possibly go wrong? You guessed it, PLOT CONVENIENCE! What with all the crazy stuff that goes down, will Jack ever find out who he really is? There's only one way to find out; it's time for Rising Storm: BOOK 2!
1. Three months

Three months. It had been three months since Pastoria, three months since Jack had freed the Legendary Birds, three months since he started scouring Sinnoh for any sign of the person responsible for sending the Birds after him, and giving him those freakish dreams, and three months since the dreams had suddenly stopped.

Jason didn't know why the dreams had stopped, but it seemed to correlate with Jack freeing the Birds; he hoped that meant the mysterious antagonist had given up on that plan, which would mean that the Birds were safe. There was one thing Jason knew though; that day, three months ago, was when everything had changed.

* * *

Three months prior...

"Who am I, Jason," Jack had asked him that evening, after the Legendary Birds had left.

"Does it matter?" he'd replied. "You're my brother, and my best friend; that's enough for me."

Jack sighed. "Until now, that would've been enough for me too. But this business with the Birds got me thinking; I really know nothing about myself. I've had these superhuman abilities for years now, and it's become so normal for us; but where did they come from?"

"I don't know," Jason said.

"Precisely my point. Neither of us know why I'm like this; or why I was in Greenwood that day, or who left me there, or even why I have these robes!" Jack said, his voice steadily rising. "Who am I, Jason?!"

"I don't know," Jason repeated.

"Well then, don't you want to find out?" Jack asked.

Jason looked him in the eye. "Why do you? You were always perfectly happy just being Jack Storm; what's changed?"

"What changed," Jack said grimly. "was I realized that I didn't even know who Jack Storm really is."

"Well, who do you want to be?" Jason asked.

Jack sighed. "It doesn't matter who I want to be, I want to know who I am. What if I'm putting you, and everyone, in danger just by being near you? Because that's what it seems like to me; there's someone out there who it seems will stop at nothing to get to me, and that paints a big, fluorescent pink target on all of you. I don't even know who he is, or why he's after me. I'll bet you any money it's somehow connected to my origins which I, once again, know nothing about. You see my problem?"

"So," Jason said, "You're going to lure out the guy who's following you and get some answers out of him. That sounds like a good enough plan to me."

Jack smiled. "Yeah, but a plan alone won't answer my questions. It has to work first."

"Well then," Jason said. "let's hope it does."

* * *

Jason watched thoughtfully as the sky slowly faded from pitch black to a soft grey. The sun had yet to peep over the horizon, but the night was already starting to retreat.

Up until that point, Jack had been going through the traditional trainer's journey for the fun of it. Both Jack and Jason had craved adventure ever since they were young, and the whole 'Trainer's journey' thing seemed like the perfect way to get some. After that day though things were slightly different.

Jason sighed as he leaned on the balcony rail. "'Things' were different? Who am I kidding. 'Things' stayed pretty much the same; it was Jack that changed."

Jason wouldn't have taken any notice of the conversation he'd had with Jack that day, except that it coincided with a subtle change in Jack's attitude. Looking back now Jason realized that he probably wouldn't have noticed the change if it weren't for that conversation. Funny how the world works, but then that was the root of the problem.

Jason wasn't worried about Jack wanting to know more about his past; that was only natural. What worried Jason, was that his brother had started drifting away from God. Jason had first noticed that Jack wasn't praying and reading his Bible as regularly as he used to; gradually, maybe even unconsciously, Jack had simply gotten out of the habit.

"Watching the sunrise?" Jack said, coming up beside Jason and putting his arms on the railing.

"Yeah," Jason replied.

"You've got that look on your face," Jack said. "The one you get when you're thinking hard about something."

Jason looked up at him. "You're the one who gets that look, not me."

"Who do you think I got it from?" Jack countered with a grin.

Jason chuckled. "Yeah, I guess that makes sense; I remember how you were always following me around. You must have thought I was the best thing since Mother's Oran Berry soup."

"Well, not quite that good," Jack said jokingly. "But yeah, I really did admire you; you were always the big brother. And then I learned my first move…" Jack's grin slowly faded, and his voice took on a sad undertone. "After that, our roles started to reverse; eventually I was the one in charge, and you were the one hanging off of me."

"I was never 'hanging off of you'," Jason said in mock indignation.

Jack chuckled and a smile briefly crossed his face, his normal cheerfulness returning for a split second before fading again. That was another thing Jason had noticed; ever since that day, three months ago, Jack had started smiling less and less. He still laughed, he still played and joked around, but it was only skin deep; he was never genuinely happy. He just wasn't his normal cheerful self any more, and Jason missed that more than anything.

"So," Jack said. "What were you thinking about?"

Jason looked up at the brightening sky. "Do you think we'll win?"

Jack grinned confidently. "Are you kidding? We'll wipe the floor with the lot of them; for sure. And when we do, maybe the mysterious stalker will finally make his move."

Jason scowled inwardly. It always came back to the stalker eventually; it had become almost an obsession for Jack, finding the stalker. Jason knew though that catching the stalker was just the means to an end; namely, finding out who Jack 'really' was. Jason would've been fine with it all, in fact he would've jumped at the chance to learn more about his adopted brother, except that like he said; it had become almost an obsession to him.

Jack and Jason watched as a red sun rose over an enormous colosseum, with three smaller arenas jutting out from the sides. Each of the four battlefields could be specifically tailored for a different type of terrain, adding an element of unpredictability into the matches held there; it was a marvel of modern architecture and engineering.

In the last three months, they'd beaten the remaining four Gym Leaders of Sinnoh and collected their badges; they'd fought many other trainers as well, defeating most of them with ease. And finally, they'd gotten here; the place all trainers in Sinnoh long to some day. The Lily of the Valley Conference. They had made it into the Sinnoh League.

They'd gone through a screening process the day before, which they passed with flying colours; and last night the League Torch had been lit, and the round one match-ups had been announced. None of it really interested Jason, he just wanted this whole business to be over as quickly as possible.

Over the last three months, everyone had gotten quite a lot stronger; although there were no new additions to the team. Everyone now knew at least five moves; except for Thomas, who still knew only his original four. Namely Signal Beam, Discharge, Lock-On, and Tri-Attack. Jack was both thankful of that fact, and incredibly curious as to the reason behind it; every time a member of his team learned a new move, it was a reminder to Jack that he was probably the one causing it. The only explanation Jack could come up with was that it had something to do with Thomas being, by his own admission, an artificial Pokémon. The others, however, had been learning new moves at an increasing rate.

Jason had mastered Close Combat, and learned Psychic to counter his weakness to other Fighting Types. Cap had learned Bide, Katana had replaced Vacuum Wave with Air Slash, and Lucy had replaced Payback with Return. Wendy had replaced Confusion with Psychic, and had also learned Teleport and Light Screen, Aura had learned Agility, once more making her the fastest thing alive, and Solomon had upgraded Ember to Flamethrower, Thundershock to Thunderbolt, and Powder Snow to Ice Beam. And Ivy, taking to her new evolutionary form like a Golduck to water, had learned both Energy Ball and Giga Drain.

As for Jack himself, he'd trained the hardest out of all of them; in everything from his mental and auric abilities, to his Fighting Type techniques, to his elemental move-set. The third one is, probably, the most interesting so I'll focus mainly on that. After seeing Solomon's unorthodox Fire, Ice, and Electric elemental moves, Jack began training in controlling as many different elements as possible. He'd always had an affinity for lightning, and for the others he'd found that he could use telekinesis to easily simulate many elemental moves.

For instance, he'd already developed what could pass for a Water Pulse technique by simply levitating water and compressing it into a sphere, and a Leaf Storm attack by gathering random foliage and telekinetically keeping it rigid. Doing much the same thing with other basic substances yielded impressive results; he'd not only learned simple stuff like Stone Edge, Earthquake, and Air Slash, but also Ice Beam and Flamethrower just like Solomon. Jack had become a veritable walking arsenal.

There was also... _that_ technique; it easily eclipsed all his other ones, but it was somewhat of a last resort. A trump card, if you will.

In all, Jack's confidence about the Sinnoh League was justified; unless they did something really stupid, Jason didn't see any way they could lose the League. Little did they know, someone would soon beg to differ.

Last night, after both the screening rounds and a hard day's training, the sixty-four contestants who had made it past the screening rounds had congregated in the central arena; eagerly waiting for the round one match-ups to be revealed.

Jack and his team had gotten to the conference late, and they'd barely had time to sign up before registration closed; mostly thanks to the reporters and paparazzi who, even after three months, were still desperate to get so much as a single statement out of Jack. After that they'd spent most of the day in their new suite, unpacking their stuff and generally making it feel more like home.

They'd only really left their room when it was time for the screening matches; after that, they quickly retreated to their room again to avoid the ever-present cameras. As such, the announcement of the round one match-ups had been Jack's first opportunity to scout out the competition.

The trainers lined up in an eight by eight square, which allowed Jack to easily scan for familiar faces. Most of the trainers were complete strangers to Jack, but a few faces jumped out at him; figuratively speaking.

The first person he saw was Ash, with Pikachu on his shoulder as always; Ash saw him as well, and the two shared a grin of congratulation. Since they'd gone their separate ways at Veilstone City, what seemed like an eternity ago, Jack had only seen Ash and his entourage once; at Sunyshore City, where Jack was forced to wait several days because he refused to take the Beacon Badge without fighting for it. What was the point of challenging the Gyms if you didn't even get to challenge them? Fortunately Ash showed up and got the Gym Leader, Volkner, to start accepting challengers again.

After their respective epic battles with said Gym Leader, and thwarting Team Rocket who had somehow turned the solar station into a robot... don't ask. Jack and Ash spent a while catching up, which of course included a battle, which of course Jack won. In any event, Jack was glad that Ash had made it into the Sinnoh League; he liked the impulsive young trainer, and he looked forward to seeing how much stronger Ash had gotten.

The second thing Jack noticed was Nicholas, who was standing next to a powerful-looking Infernape which Jack realized was Blaze; if that was any indication, Jack expected that Nicholas's team had gotten a lot stronger as well since the last time he'd seen them. And that was saying something; Jack had run into Nicholas several times in the last few months, almost always at a Pokémon Gym. One of them would get there first and challenge the Gym, then the other would show up in time to catch the end of the battle.

Despite Jack's fears, the two became closer each time they met; the red-headed trainer had repeatedly assured Jack that although he did want to become stronger than Jack, he still wanted to be friends. As such, when Nicholas noticed Jack and the two locked eyes, it was once again with a congratulatory grin. They both knew exactly what the other was thinking; 'see you on the battlefield.'

Jack's gaze moved on across the field, looking at each trainer in turn; then he saw the one thing he hoped wouldn't be there. A shock of purple hair, and a blue jacket.

"Paul," Jack muttered.

The purple-haired trainer had already noticed Jack, and was eyeing him with a look which was impossible to read. Jack couldn't tell what was going through Paul's head, but he could take a wild guess. One thing he knew, neither of them was happy to see the other; Jack had long since moved past his hatred of Paul, even if he greatly disliked the boy's training methods. Jack hadn't seen Paul since Pastoria, three months ago; he hoped he'd get to fight Paul in the tournament. Speaking of which...

Hung above the battlefield, a giant television screen burst into life; on it the likeness of each one of the sixty-four competitors was displayed, matched up in pairs. Jack didn't recognize the person he'd been matched up with, but he looked forward to showing the world what he and his friends could do.

* * *

Me: And that marks the start of Book 2 of Rising Storm; not the most flamboyant entrance, I know, but don't worry your pretty little heads. The action escalates quickly from here; this chapter is mainly just to set the scene, since there is a fairly substantial time gap between Books 1 and 2. As for that, well... To be honest, nothing happened that was worth more than summarizing; I know some of you probably would've loved to see Jack and Nicholas's rivalry grow, or how Jack would've reacted to Team Rocket trying to steal the Sunyshore City Solar Plant, but trust me when I say that the time gap is the best option.

Jack: I don't buy it; the Sunyshore City incident was hilarious, I really think you should've put that in at least.

Me: You lost your right to criticism in Book 1; still, maybe I'll write a one-shot about it sometime if I get writer's block for the main story.

Jack: But don't forget, You've already got some side-projects on the go; you might want to finish those up first before you go starting any new ones.

Me: True enough. In other news though, I have a special commendation to make.

Jack: What else is new?

Me: Shut up. This story is one that I've followed from its oh-so-humble beginnings, and watched and Beta-Read as it grew into something **unbelievably epic!** Trust me, this story is worth a read. It's called The Ancient Fuse Evolution by Krominicon, and it is awesome; I believe I recommended it back in Book 1 once, but it's come a long way since then. Spoiler free, it's about a trainer named Ethan and his Lucario named **[Classified]** , who have inherited the titular Fuse Evolution from their respective ancestors; what ancestors, you might ask? None other than _SIR AARON AND HIS LUCARIO THEMSELVES_ , one of which comes back _FROM THE DEAD!_ And, believe it or not, it actually works; the main characters are great, the setting are good, the plot is epic, the villain is _literally_ evil incarnate, and as if it needed it, do you know what else this story has going for it?!

Jack: It's a bird!

Jason: It's a plane!

Me: IT'S A CAMEO! Yes folks, Jack Storm himself makes a dramatic and utterly mind-blowing appearance later on in the story; and it's not just one chapter, he has an ongoing and meaningful presence in the story, written by yours truly...

Jack: Francis of Yorkshire.

Me: Shut up. In any event, The Ancient Fuse Evolution deserves every view you can give it. I am hoping to resume a somewhat normal writing schedule, but since I have both school-work and a new job to deal with, that may or may not work out perfectly; so if you're looking for something to read between chapters of Rising Storm, you should definitely check out Krominicon's The Ancient Fuse Evolution.

Jack: See you in the next chapter, whenever that is.


	2. The first battle

Me: Really guys? Only ten follows? That means only one out of six people who followed the old story have followed the new one; if that. I don't understand it; I put out a trailer, I gave them plenty of time, why aren't people seeing the new story?

Jack: Maybe they just don't want to read it.

Me: Out of necessity, I'm working under the assumption that that's not the case. I suppose I could post another update on the old story, but that just seems redundant. Oh well, I suppose it's their loss; but still, a life without my story? I wouldn't wish that on anyone.

Jack: It's a fate worse than death, to be sure.

Me: …

Me: Was that sarcasm?

Jack: Of course not; I'd never stoop to your level.

Me: Oookay, moving on; here's the second chapter.

* * *

The first match was easy; almost too easy, in fact.

Jack sent out Jason first, and the other trainer sent out a Charizard; his starter Pokémon, judging by how powerful it was. The battlefield had transformed into a sheet of ice, dotted with razor sharp frozen stalagmites.

"THE BATTLE WILL BE THREE ON THREE; SUBSTITUTIONS AND ITEMS ARE ALLOWED. THE BATTLE WILL BE OVER WHEN ALL POKÉMON ON ONE SIDE ARE UNABLE TO CONTINUE. BATTLE BEGIN!" the referee called.

[Jason (Lucario) Age: 17. Ability: Steadfast. Moves: Metal Claw, Counter, Force Palm, Aura Sphere, Bone Rush, Focus Punch, Close Combat, and Psychic.]

The instant he heard those words, Jason was already moving; he halved the distance between him and the Charizard in a fraction of a second, readying a fearsome Metal Claw. But before Jason could get into striking distance, Charizard had already taken to the air.

Charizard hovered above the battlefield for a few seconds, then unleashed a roaring Flamethrower attack down at Jason. The Lucario didn't so much as flinch, but instead fired a focused Aura Sphere back up at the flames; the two attacks clashed for a second, but the Aura Sphere won out easily and landed a direct hit on Charizard.

The attack was powerful, but not very effective; Charizard recovered fairly quickly and launched a powerful Fire Blast attack. Jason simply countered with another Aura Sphere, to exactly the same result.

Charizard, after taking two direct hits from Aura Sphere, wasn't feeling so hot; Type advantage or not, Jason's Aura Sphere was a force to be reckoned with. In desperation, Charizard started flying around the battlefield in a pseudo-random manner, firing off Flamethrower after Flamethrower in an attempt to land at least one hit on the Lucario.

Jason responded to this assault with Bone Rush, twirling the auric quarter-staff in his paws to counter each blast of flames as they came; a trick he'd learned a while ago for dealing with blast attacks. The trouble was that as long as Charizard was flying above the ground, keeping him pinned down with long-ranged attack, Jason couldn't really do much except defend.

 _"This has gone on more than long enough,"_ Jack said telepathically to Jason. _"Here's what you're going to do."_

Jason listened to the plan intently; it was actually pretty simplistic, but then again that just meant there was less that could go wrong. All they had to do was wait for the right moment… Then, there it was; Charizard had stopped attacking momentarily, probably trying to catch its breath. Firing off constant Flamethrower attacks couldn't have been easy; but the pause gave Jason exactly the opening he needed.

"Now!" Jack shouted.

Jason didn't need any command, it was purely for show; the Lucario was moving before Jack finished saying the word.

 _"Let's just hope I don't slip and fall,"_ Jason thought to himself. _"That would be embarrassing."_

Showing off his impressive agility, Jason darted straight for one of the icy columns jutting up from the arena floor; utilizing the momentum of his charge, he leapt at the pillar of ice and planted his hind paws on its nearly vertical face. Then, using the stalagmite like a springboard, he launched himself into the air straight at Charizard; who had yet to register where the Lucario had gone.

Whether out of reflex or something, Charizard used what was probably its trump card; not the move 'Trump Card', an actual tr… You know what, never mind; it used Flare Blitz, okay? A powerful move by anyone's standards, even if it did inflict recoil on the user; not to mention it was Super-Effective against Steel-Types.

Jason had already gone too far to stop, so he braced for the impact with Counter. When Charizard's flaming body slammed into him, Jason grabbed on and used their opposing momentums to spin them both around; after a couple complete rotations, Jason let go and flung Charizard down into the ground. This action also flung Jason straight up, which suited him fine.

Before Charizard could recover, Jason used a burst of Psychic to launch himself even higher into the air; a trick he'd learned from Jack, although he had yet to master it to the extent his brother had.

At the apex of his flight, Jason began concentrating every scrap of aura he could gather into his right paw; compressing it until his paw glowed with a white flame. Then, he fell; he aligned himself nose-down and headed straight for the vulnerable figure of Charizard, who was still getting to his feet.

With the momentum of his fall behind him, Jason slammed a Critical Focus Punch into Charizard's head; the attack may have been Ineffective statistically speaking, but in reality it was anything but. When the dust cleared, Charizard was well and truly out for the count.

"Well," Jason said as the enemy trainer recalled his Charizard. "That went better than expected."

"Don't celebrate yet," Jack replied. "As I understand it, he still has two Pokémon left."

"You're darn right I do!" the trainer, a boy a little older than Jack with spiky black hair, exclaimed. "And you're not gonna beat my Golem so easily; Rocky, you're up!"

Jack sighed. "I guess Rocky is technically a real name, but still; couldn't they be a little more creative?"

"We had a Snivy named Ivy," Jason remarked, "Until she evolved at least."

"Ivy is also a real name," Jack countered. "And besides, I didn't pick that name; her last trainer, Jonathan, did. Anyway, shouldn't we be focussing on the battle; people are giving us weird looks because I'm talking in Pokéspeak."

"Good point; on with the battle then."

True to the trainer's word, his next Pokémon was indeed a powerful-looking Golem; it probably had a few Ground-Type moves, which Jack assumed was why the trainer had chosen it to fight next despite it being at a significant Type disadvantage.

Jack's hunch was proved accurate as Golem quickly unleashed an earthshaking Magnitude attack; it was surprising how high a Pokémon that big could jump, and how big a seismic disturbance it caused.

The shockwave was enough to knock Jason flying several feet backwards, as well as cracking the ice-covered field in several places. Jason flipped mid-air to land on his feet, and struck a fighting stance; Golem, seeing that Jason wasn't going to attack, decided to go on the offensive with Rock Blast. It conjured up a handful of head-sized rocks and hurled them at Jason.

Jason didn't so much as blink as he pulverised each incoming stone with Bone Rush, and then charged forward at Golem with the same move; Golem waited until Jason was close, which wasn't long, and then used Magnitude again. It jumped way higher than it had last time, meaning that this attack would be even more powerful.

Seconds before Golem could hit the ground, it was suddenly suspended in midair by purple energy. Jason was holding it up with Psychic, but only barely; he didn't have the kind of mental power possessed by actual Psychic-Types, and the strain of lifting something as heavy as Golem was too much.

 _"Maybe I should've tried another approach,"_ Jason thought.

Jason, panting heavily, dropped Golem to the ground; the Megaton Pokémon didn't waste any time, and Magnitude again.

 _"Good grief!"_ Jason thought. _"Doesn't it have any other moves it could use?!"_

Jason leapt backwards as Golem hit the ground, avoiding the earth-based attack; he then quickly followed up with Bone Rush, hoping to catch Golem off-guard. It didn't work, and Golem leapt skyward to use Magnitude yet again.

This time, Jason was more than prepared. When Golem was at the peak of its jump, Jason readied a blast of Psychic; he fired it just before Golem hit the ground, turning Golem's free-fall into a roll.

Golem was a little shaken up from being knocked around like volley-ball, so it took a second too long to get up; that second was all Jason needed to prime and fire a fierce Aura Sphere which landed a direct hit. Before the dust from the explosion could even settle, Jason had gone in with Metal Claw to finish the job; when the cloud of dust finally dissipated, Golem was unconscious.

"Not that that was particularly pleasant," Jason remarked to his brother, "But this is starting to seem decidedly one-sided."

"I noticed," Jack replied. "This guy and his Pokémon are fairly strong, but you're on a completely different level; and you aren't even going all out, not by a long shot."

"To be fair," Jason said, "I am, all bragging aside, the most powerful of us aside from you."

"Which begs the question, how do the others compare to other trainers' Pokémon? They all have strengths and weaknesses, so their respective absolute strength is hard to gauge; it depends greatly on what kind of opponent they're facing."

"How about giving Wendy a turn?" Jason suggested. "She always complains that you never let her fight; I'm sure she'd jump at the chance to show off for 'Auntie' Lucy."

"Speaking of which…"

Jack glanced over his shoulder at the plain-looking cloth backpack he was wearing; nestled inside it was the Pack, in which the rest of his team was sitting. Poking inconspicuously out of the top of the backpack was a small metal rod, on the end of which was a camera and microphone; it fed audio and video into the VR world of the Pack so his team could see and hear what what going on. It wasn't perfect, but it worked; so long as Jack stood relatively still.

"Alright Jason," Jack said. "That sounds like a bad idea on several levels, so how can I refuse? Return."

Jack held out Jason's Pokéball and recalled him to it; he then slung the Pack around in front of him, and surreptitiously transferred Jason to it. He waited a moment, giving Jason time to tell everyone what was going on, then he punched Wendy's ID number into the interface and transferred her to the Pokéball Jason had been using. The whole thing, thanks to extensive practice, took less than five seconds.

The procedure complete, Jack withdrew the Pokéball which now contained Wendy and slung the Pack around to his back again. He then faced his opponent, who had yet to call out his last Pokémon.

"What's the deal?" the trainer said in a cocky tone. "Afraid my next Pokémon would be able to beat yours?"

Jack rolled his eyes, and chuckled. "No, but one of my other Pokémon wanted to have some fun too; I was going to let her take the last fight, but you lost too quickly."

"Dude, that's harsh!"

 _"That,"_ Jack thought to himself, _"And I'm using you as a training dummy; that's even harsher."_

"Wendy, you're up."

[Wendy (Kirlia) Age: 11. Ability: Trace. Moves: Magical Leaf, Hypnosis, Psychic, Teleport, and Light Screen.]

Wendy landed on the battlefield with a smile; it was true, she took every chance she could to impress her 'aunts', Katana and Lucy. Not to mention Aura and Ivy, to whom she was very much a little sister; even though both Aura and Ivy were, in Pokémon years at least, almost as old as Katana and Lucy.

"Okay," the trainer yelled, "Now you're just insulting me; fighting me with a Pokémon that's not even fully evolved yet!"

Jack smirked. "You think so? Then give us your best shot, and see what she can do."

"You tell him, Uncle Jack," Wendy agreed. "Let's kick his ass!"

Jack looked down at her in shock. "Where'd you hear that?"

Wendy tilted her head curiously. "Auntie Katana taught it to me; why?"

Jack put a hand to his forehead. "Katana, you and I are going to have a little talk later."

The trainer gave him a strange look. "If you're all done talking to your Pokémon now; and yeah, I've heard of you and your 'special powers'."

"Who hasn't," Jack said flatly. "It's pretty common knowledge by this point; what's your point?"

"My point," the trainer said, "Is that I think you're cheating!"

Jack's expression was one of complete incomprehension. "Uh… come again?"

The trainer scowled. "I think you're using your powers to cheat in the tournament; that Lucario had way more than four moves. You can't deny it, so fess up!"

Jack remained obviously unconcerned. "Yeah, he's a little special; you're just sore because you're losing," he said, allowing a little amusement to seep into his tone.

The trainer ground his teeth. "Fine then; if you're not cheating, then this should be easy. Go, Sableye!"

Although Jack's outward expression was unchanged, inside his thoughts were in turmoil; as much as he wished he could deny it, the trainer's argument had hit true. His Pokémon all had an unfair advantage over anyone else's, and he had given them that advantage even if it had been involuntary; in a way, he really was cheating.

Not that there was anything he could do about that now; he certainly wasn't going to drop out now. He'd just have to be careful what moves he called; Wendy only had five, so he'd have to leave one out. But if that trainer thought he could blackmail Jack into throwing the match, he had another think coming.

 _"Wendy,"_ Jack said telepathically, _"Whatever you do, don't hold back; you're up against a dual Dark/Ghost-Type, so you're at a major disadvantage. Be careful."_

 _"Don't worry, Uncle Jack,"_ she replied confidently. _"We're totally gonna kick their a… butts. I was gonna say butts."_

Jack smiled; Wendy could always cheer him up. _"We sure are."_

Jack was about to give a command, but before he could do anything Sableye used Mean Look; meaning that Wendy wouldn't be able to switch out if things got bad. Things had just gotten serious.

Wendy was about to attack with Magical Leaf, but suddenly Sableye used Shadow Sneak and appeared behind her. Wendy teleported away before she could be hit, but Sableye followed up with Shadow Ball; Wendy used Teleport again to get away, but Sableye kept throwing Shadow Balls at her. She would be able to keep it up for long.

With her options disappearing quickly, Wendy teleported right behind Sableye; as soon as it turned around, Wendy used Hypnosis. Sableye looked at her for a second, then its gem-like eyes turned dull and it keeled over; fast asleep on the icy ground.

Wendy took a second to catch her breath, then she used Psychic; not on Sableye, but on one of the icy stalagmites that dotted the field. With a telekinetic strength that would've impressed Mewtwo himself, the young Kirlia broke off the entire column of ice and made it float in mid-air. She brought it over to the sleeping Sableye, and Jack realized what was happening a second before it happened.

Before he could say anything, Wendy dropped the giant chunk of ice on top of Sableye; squashing it flat. Fortunately when Wendy lifted the piece of ice back up, Sableye was only unconscious; otherwise it was completely fine.

 _"I guess it is a Ghost…"_ Jack thought to himself. "Wendy, don't do that again," he said, relieved.

Wendy gave him the puppy-dog eyes. "I don't know what you're talking about," she said innocently, telekinetically replacing the giant icicle in what was obviously supposed to be a surreptitious manner.

"Right…" Jack said, unconvinced.

Meanwhile the trainer, and most of the audience, were staring at Wendy in shock; the rest were staring at Jack instead.

The trainer's jaw was hanging open; he looked like he was trying to say something, but no words were coming out. Fortunately, the referee said all that was needed.

"SABLEYE IS UNABLE TO BATTLE; KIRLIA IS THE WINNER, WHICH MEANS THE VICTORY GOES TO JACK STORM!"

The audience roared, figuratively speaking; their responses were divided between approval and outrage. The trainer recalled his Sableye, then seemed to get his voice back; unfortunately.

"Cheater," he said, his voice rising in anger. "CHEATER!"

Jack shrugged. "If you're so sure, then prove it; until then, stop being such a sore loser." _"Before I agree with you,"_ Jack thought involuntarily, then he shook his head. "Come on Wendy," he said. "Let's go back to our suite and grab a bite to eat; it's almost Lunchtime."

"Okay," Wendy said, following Jack out of the arena.

Jack's real reason for wanting to leave had less to do with his stomach, and more to do with his face; namely the fact that it was going to be one the front of every newspaper and magazine in Sinnoh soon if he wasn't careful. And probably even if he was.

Jack and Wendy high-tailed it back to their suite in the competitors' hotel beside the arena, locked the door, let everyone out of the Pack, and ordered pizza for lunch; they all liked pizza, although they did differ on what kind they wanted.

"Here you go," the deliveryman said. "One large Meat-lover's, one medium Supreme, two large Three-Cheese and pepperoni, and one medium Orange Islands Special. Are you feeding an army or something?"

Jack grinned as he handed the man a handful of bills. "Something like that, yeah; keep the change."

The deliveryman stared down at the wad of money in his hand, it was at least twice the price of the pizzas.

"A… are you serious?" he said, shocked.

Jack shrugged. "Yeah, why wouldn't I be? Don't spend it all in one place."

"I won't. Thanks."

"Don't mention it," Jack replied, taking the pizzas and going back into the suite. "Okay guys, dig in."

Jack opened the boxes and began handing out pizza to everyone who didn't have opposable thumbs or telekinetic powers. He'd finished, and was about to take a bite of his slice of Orange Islands Special, when there was a knock at the door.

Jack froze in place, and Jason looked at him curiously. "Who do you think it is?"

Jack got up and walked over to the door. "I don't know; it might be Ash or Nicholas, or it could just be more reporters. Although this place has pretty tight security for non-contestants, so I don't think reporters would be able to get in."

"Why not just check?" Jason asked.

"Telepathically?" Jack replied, placing a hand on the doorknob. "That would spoil the surprise."

Without any further warning, Jack flung the door wide open; when he saw who it was, his face lit up with a broad grin.

"It's you!" he exclaimed happily.

"Who else would I be?" Maylene countered. "Long time no see, Jack."


	3. Reunion: P1

Me: Well guys, we seem to have reached equilibrium; bi-weekly uploads of one chapter, or two chapters if I'm feeling particularly productive.

Jack: Yeah, that's great; now can we just get to the chapter already?

Me: Oh, that's right; Maylene. I've been waiting to bring her back for a while now; I got multiple requests to do so, and I figured I might as well get on with it. Oh, and just so you know, this chapter is where things start getting interesting.

Jack: Chapter. Now.

* * *

"Long time no see, Maylene," Jack said. "What're you doing here?"

Jack looked his old friend over quickly; she was wearing her traditional gym clothes, a blue and black muscle shirt and grey track pants. Obviously modelled after the appearance of her partner, Lucario.

"You look like you came here straight from the gym," Jack continued.

Maylene shrugged. "Hey, the Lily of the Valley Conference is the event of the year; and since there won't be another one for a year, the number of challengers at the gym has dropped to nothing. So, I figured I might as well come and watch; and not just for you either."

Jack raised an eyebrow. "Is that so; well come in, have some Pizza, and tell me what you mean by that cryptic comment."

"Don't mind if I do," Maylene replied. "And while I'm at it, maybe you can tell me a few things too."

Jack blinked as Maylene walked past him into the main suite. "Didn't I just say something about the cryptic comments?"

Jack shut and locked the door, and went back into the main room; the television was on as, up until a few minutes ago, they'd been watching the other matches of the tournament. Ash's had already finished, with him the victor; they had yet to see anyone else they recognised.

Maylene was already getting the royal treatment from the team; Lucy was nuzzling her leg, Jason was being all formal, and Wendy was three feet off the ground hanging from the gym leader's neck. Ivy and Thomas were the only ones who looked like they had absolutely no idea what was going on.

"So," Maylene said, turning to look at Jack and almost dislodging Wendy from her neck on the process. "I see two new faces here."

Jack nodded. "Yeah, that's right; Ivy and Thomas weren't with us when we challenged you. I'm willing to bet you can guess which one is which."

"Greetings," Thomas said in impeccable, if electronic sounding, English. "My name is Thomas, and I've heard much about you Maylene."

Maylene nearly jumped out of her skin when Thomas started talking; fortunately, Wendy had a firm grip.

"He… he talked!" Maylene exclaimed.

"Yeah," Jack said, "He does that."

Maylene blinked, then shrugged. "Okay then, I'm not questioning anything at this point; it makes sense that your team would be as unique as you are. Speaking of which," Maylene fixed Jack with a stern look. "Why didn't you tell me you were a move-using superhero?!"

Jack blinked. "Come again."

Maylene folded her arms. "These last few months, do you know what's been dominating every single media outlet in Sinnoh? You! The whole region is buzzing about you, and I got singled out as someone who knew you personally; the reporters were bad enough, but when the fangirls started showing up…"

"Fangirls?" Jack exclaimed, trying to keep up.

"Never mind that," Maylene said quickly, before continuing at a somewhat more calm pace. "Sorry, I think I rambled on a bit. It's just, I wish you'd said something; when I heard how you fought off two of the Legendary Bird trio, there were so many questions I wanted to ask you."

Jack shrugged and sat down on a nearby couch. "We've got a while, ask away."

"Really?" Maylene asked excitedly, sitting down as well. "Okay then, let's see… Oh yeah, I know," she fixed him with another stern look. "When we sparred way back when you were staying at the dojo, how much were you holding back?"

Jack grinned a little. "What makes you think I was holding back?"

"I knew it!" Maylene exclaimed with a grin. "You were going easy on me! The nerve, toying with me like that."

"I swear I wasn't," Jack said, raising his hands above his head in the universal sign of surrender.

"Yeah, right," Maylene said. "I'll believe that when Piloswine fly."

"But in all honesty," Jack said. "I really didn't hold back when we sparred; I couldn't afford to. Whatever advantage I had in strength and speed, you made up for with superior training and technique; you were more than my equal, in martial arts at least, and I learned a lot from you."

Maylene smiled. "Thank you, I'm glad to hear that; but it begs the question, what about now?"

Jack sighed. "I was hoping you wouldn't ask that."

"But you knew I would," Maylene said with a grin.

"Yup."

"Well then?" the gym leader asked. "Shall we take this outside?"

Jack shook his head. "There's a reason I'm in here, instead of watching the matches; if I set foot outside of this hotel, the press is going to be on me like Joltik on a power line. It's a miracle there's anyone covering the matches at all."

Jack glanced over at the television, which was still playing softly; everyone else, except for Wendy who was still sitting in Maylene's lap, was watching the ongoing tournament. The current match was between a brown-haired boy and his Machamp, and…

"Turn that up," Jack commanded.

Jason, who had the remote control, obliged.

 _"...I repeat,"_ the announcer said, _"The fight between James, a trainer from Floaroma Town, and Tobias, who is said to have defeated all the gym leaders using only his Darkrai, is almost finished. Tobias's Darkrai has already defeated two of James's Pokémon, leaving only his Machamp to fight."_

As they watched, Tobias's Darkrai landed Ice Beam and Dark Pulse attacks in rapid succession, leaving Machamp unconscious.

"I remember him," Maylene said. "He challenged my gym months ago; and he did take down my entire team with just his Darkrai."

Jack stared at her in shock. "Are you kidding me? He's that strong?"

Maylene chuckled. "Back then I was also nowhere near as strong as I am now; and I had almost no experience at being a gym leader. But even so, yes; he really is that strong. I wouldn't be surprised if that Darkrai he has, is actually the original Darkrai of legend; the nightmare Pokémon."

They watched as Tobias recalled Darkrai, and left the arena.

Jack gritted his teeth. "I've got a bad feeling about this; I've learned to listen to my instincts, and my instincts are telling me there's more to this Tobias guy than meets the eye. I get the feeling I'll be fighting him at some point."

"Are you worried you might not be able to beat him?" Maylene asked.

Jack shook his head. "Not really; I've gone up against legendary Pokémon before, this'll be nothing new."

He neglected to mention that in two of those instances, he nearly died. In truth, this Tobias person made him distinctly nervous; based on what he'd seen, he had no doubt that he could beat his Darkrai. What worried him, was what other tricks Tobias might have up his sleeve.

 _"In other news,"_ the announcer continued, _"Three months into the outbreak of the Second Saldaran Civil War, the terrorist group known as Alpha has now overrun the Saldaran military defending the city of Cynder Falls. Things are looking decidedly grim for the Saldara Region and its citizens."_

"Alpha?" Jack muttered. "Where have I…"

"The laboratory," Thomas said.

Jack snapped his fingers. "That's right, the old base; talk about a small world."

"Indeed," Thomas commented.

"Sorry, what's that about?" Maylene asked.

"We met Thomas in an old abandoned laboratory," Jack explained. "It was run by those guys, Alpha; a terrorists group from Saldara apparently. Maybe they needed a remote location to conduct their research."

Maylene nodded. "Makes sense. Anyway, it looks like all the first round matches are finished now; that was the last one. So how about it, care for a quick sparring match?"

Jack sighed. "Fine, I guess there's no getting out of it; but I have one condition."

"Name it," Maylene said.

Jack grinned. "I get to pick the arena."

Maylene mirrored his grin. "Deal."

* * *

"Why did you have to pick the biggest arena in the immediate vicinity?" Maylene asked.

Jack shrugged. "If it's worth doing, it's worth overdoing."

"But still," Maylene said. "Weren't you the one complaining about the press? Well, you might as well have set up a giant neon sign; I mean, seriously. You get to pick the arena, and you pick this?"

Around them, like the sides of a giant bowl, rose the Lily of the Valley Colosseum; the single largest stadium in Sinnoh. The manager was more than happy to let Jack and Maylene use it, provided he got to charge entry for anyone who wanted to watch; Jack agreed. To put it bluntly, the manager was set to make a small fortune.

Once word got out, as it always does, that Jack and Maylene were going to have a sparring match, every Tom, Dick, and Harry on Lily of the Valley Island were falling over themselves to be there; nobody else cared, but there were more than enough people named Tom, Dick, or Harry to fill the stadium to bursting.

Jack grinned. "Think of it this way; unless we hop on over to Mt. Coronet real quick, people are going to catch wind of our little match. We'll be swarmed by reporters anyway, so we might as well at least charge them for the show; this way we're supporting a worthy cause."

Maylene gave him a knowing look. "Oh, I see now."

Jack raised one eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"You're not as opposed to all the attention you're getting as you'd like everyone to believe," Maylene said with a grin.

Jack smirked. "I have my reasons."

"Whatever," Maylene said. "But since we've got such a crowd here, it would be unfair of us not to give them a worthwhile show. Wouldn't you say?"

Jack raised his eyebrow again. "What exactly did you have in mind?"

* * *

"THE BATTLE WILL BE THREE ON THREE," the announcer declared. "ITEMS AND SUBSTITUTIONS ALLOWED FOR BOTH SIDES. THE BATTLE WILL BE OVER WHEN ONE SIDE IS UNABLE TO CONTINUE. BEGIN!"

Jack and Maylene stared each other down from opposite ends of the battlefield; how a simple sparring match had turned into the second most widely broadcast event in Sinnoh, they could never quite remember. One thing was for sure though, they intended to have fun with it.

"Let's start things off slow," Jack said. "Figuratively speaking, that is. Aura, you're up!"

"I was thinking the exact same thing," Maylene shot back. "Machamp, front and center!"

In quick succession, Aura and Machamp appeared on the battlefield in the customary flashes of red light. They quickly took stock of the situation, and began staring each other down with every bit as much intensity as their trainers.

[Aura (Dragonair) Age: 19. Ability: Marvel Scale. Moves: Extremespeed, Dragon Rage, Flamethrower, Thundershock, and Agility.]

"You may take the first move," Maylene said with a bow.

"You might regret that," Jack replied, his grin widening. "Aura, use Agility."

Aura began going through a series of stretches and undulations designed to warm up her muscles and alleviate pre-battle tension; at the same time, she gathered her namesake from the surrounding area to super-charge her body. It wasn't the most visually impressive technique, but both Jack and Maylene knew full well how effective it could be.

Aura had almost completed the exercise, when suddenly Machamp seemed to appear in front of her from out of nowhere; before Aura could react, it slammed its fists into the ground in a powerful Earthquake attack.

The shockwave shattered Aura's concentration and interrupted her move.

 _"How in the reverse world... "_ Jack exclaimed to himself. _"How is Machamp so fast?!"_

"You're not the only ones who've gotten stronger," Maylene said, as if she could hear his thoughts. "This isn't going to be a one sided match like your last one; if you want to beat me, you'd better give it your all!"

Jack grinned and cracked his neck. "As you wish. Aura, Extremespeed!"

The moment he called the order, Aura was off like a bolt of blue light; she slammed into Machamp like a cannonball, pushing him back several feet. But before Aura could retreat back to a safe distance, two of Machamp's four arms shot out and grabbed her.

Before Jack could react, Machamp slammed Aura into the ground and then used Earthquake; the attack left Aura dazed, but she managed to dart away before Machamp could follow up with another attack. Still, Aura was in trouble; she'd taken massive damage, and was shell-shocked from the hits.

"Aura, return," Jack said grimly, pulling out a Pokéball and recalling her to it. "I didn't expect her to be so strong," he grinned. "I guess I don't have to hold back then. Jason, you're up!"

[Jason (Lucario) Age: 17. Ability: Steadfast. Moves: Metal Claw, Counter, Force Palm, Aura Sphere, Bone Rush, Focus Punch, Close Combat, and Psychic.]

Jason had barely set foot on the arena, before he was off like an avenging angel; he blasted Machamp off its feet with Psychic, and then went in for the kill with Focus Punch. The two hits sent the Superpower Pokémon flying, and it crashed into the ground in front of Maylene; when the dust cleared however, Machamp was still standing.

"You'll have to do better than that," Maylene said. "Machamp doesn't go down easily."

Jack and Jason gritted their teeth in unison; this was getting ridiculous. Before Jack even gave the order, Jason shot towards the towering Machamp with Metal Claw. Machamp waited until the last moment, and then countered with Earthquake. Jason was expecting something like that, and launched himself into the air; landing a critical hit from above.

Jason was about to follow up with Force Palm, but Machamp was no longer there; Jason didn't even have time to turn around as Machamp grabbed him from behind. Jason let loose a blast of aura, but Machamp barely seemed to feel it; before Jason could try anything else, the Superpower Pokémon used Vital Throw and tossed Jason halfway across the battlefield.

Jason used Psychic to right himself mid-air, and landed on his hind paws; Machamp shot towards him at speeds that should've been impossible for something so big, and launched a brutal Close Combat attack.

Jason did the only thing he could do; he countered with Close Combat as well matching the larger Pokémon blow for blow, punch for punch. Every strike could mean the difference between victory, and defeat. They were both nearing the end of their ropes; one mistake, and that was it. But who would make that fatal mistake?

The stalemate lasted for almost an entire minute, neither side giving an inch; neither side willing to lose. This was no longer just a sparring match, this was life or death; or it might as well have been, for the intensity of it.

Then suddenly, Jason saw it; a single drop of sweat had rolled down Machamp's forehead into its right eye, obscuring its vision. Jason began pushing towards Machoke's left side; all it would take was one perfectly timed strike, and it would be over. Jason waited, and waited…

There it was, the opening Jason needed; feinting to Machoke's right, the Superpower Pokémon instinctively protected its blind side. Jason seized the chance, and gave it everything he had; pouring every scrap of strength he could muster into a right hook which landed solidly on Machamp's jaw.

Jason knew that wouldn't be enough, so he pressed his advantage; Machamp, stunned and disorientated, couldn't hold its defence together. Jason landed blow after blow, each one more powerful than the last; until with one last uppercut, which lifted Machamp's feet off the ground, Jason finished it. Machamp was down for the count.

The audience went absolutely insane; this was shaping up to be the most amazing battle any of them had seen in their entire lives. Jack was sweating almost as hard as his Lucario brother was; even Maylene looked exhausted as she recalled Machamp to its Pokéball.

"We've both come a long way since we last fought," Maylene said.

Jack nodded. "Indeed; but I'm afraid only two people I know can defeat Jason in an all out fight, and I'm one of them."

Maylene grinned from ear to ear. "Unfortunately for you, I know who the other one is. Lucario, front and center!"

Jack sighed. "Yup, that'd be him."


	4. Reunion: P2

"You've both grown much since the last time we saw each other," Lucario said. "I look forward to seeing exactly how much."

Jack and Jason looked at each other; aside from Greninja, Maylene's Lucario was the single strongest opponent they'd ever fought. If Machamp was anything to go by, Lucario must be far stronger now as well; this might not end well.

"Are you ready Jason?" Jack said with a confidence he didn't feel.

Jason nodded. "I'll try not to beat him up too badly."

Jack and Maylene called their attacks at exactly the same time, but neither Lucario nor Jason needed to hear it to know what the opening move would be. Auric bone met auric bone, as the two clashed with Bone Rush; the only thing the audience could see were repeated flashes of blue light.

At times, the flashes came so quickly that one was impossible to distinguish from the next; they blurred together into a blue glow so intense it was impossible to look at directly. Both sides were totally focussed on one thing, and one thing alone; victory. There was no time to think of anything else, one lapse in concentration would mean defeat; and neither of them was going to lose this.

Then, so quickly that no one saw it happen, Jason was flung backwards by a blow so powerful it created a shockwave which raised a cloud of dust in its wake. Jason righted himself mid-air with Psychic, and launched a blast of aura down at Lucario; the older Pokémon batted it aside with Bone Rush and launched himself into the air at Jason with Mach Punch.

Jason was taken completely by surprise, and threw up a hasty auric shield which Lucario shattered with contemptuous ease; Lucario's Mach Punch landed like ton of bricks, and sent Jason crashing to the ground. Lucario readied a Bone Rush and prepared to bring it down on Jason's prone form, but Jason flipped himself into a handstand at the last moment and lashed out with his legs at Lucario's midriff.

Lucario fell headlong onto Jason's impromptu Counter attack, and was knocked across the arena; he got up, gasping for breath.

"Impressive," Lucario said once he'd recovered his breath. "You learned well, but it is time we ended this little duel."

"I was about to say the same thing, Master," Jason replied.

Neither trainer had to say a word; this was between Jason and Lucario now. As one, their dreadlocks standing on end, the two Pokémon began gathering as much aura as they could; they summoned so much power, their entire bodies glowed from within like twin lamps. The next blow would decide who won, and who lost; the student, or the teacher.

Jason and Lucario held out their paws, and each began to pour aura into the space between them; focussing it, packing it into as small a space as possible. There was easily enough power there to fry most Pokémon to a crisp, but they weren't finished; they kept going, drawing on every spark they could grasp. Their Aura Spheres shone like twin suns; and finally, they could gather no more aura.

As one, they released their attacks at the other; the explosion tore up the ground like sand, and was so bright it almost blinded the onlookers. Neither attack had overwhelmed the other, it was a stalemate; but it wasn't over.

Before the glow even began to dissipate, Jason and Lucario were off; syphoning aura from the air as they went, concentrating it into their paws. They raced straight at each other, through the auric maelstrom left behind by their previous attacks, unable to even see their opponent but with no doubt as to where he was, and used Focus Punch.

When the glow finally dissipated, and the spots had disappeared from people's eyes, the two auric titans were standing about ten feet apart with their backs to each other. Then, as one, they turned around and looked at their opponent; a look of what could only be described as respect passed between them, and then as one they fell backwards onto the ground. Both unconscious.

Jack and Maylene recalled their respective Pokémon, and then looked at each other.

"Our Pokémon have fought hard," Jack said, "For the sake of us finding out who's stronger."

"Yeah," Maylene said with a small grin, catching his drift. "They really got into it; but this is between you and me, isn't it."

"You've got that right," Jack agreed, mirroring her grin. "Let's finish this."

The two trainers reached for the belts on which they stored their six Pokéballs; as one, they undid the buckles and let their belts fall to the ground. They were both already dressed for a fight.

To a roar of approval from the crowds, Jack and Maylene stepped onto the battlefield; they didn't need their Pokémon to fight their battles for them, they were both more than capable of doing it themselves.

"Are you ready?" Maylene called. "Don't go holding back on me now, I want to see exactly how strong you've become."

"As you wish," Jack replied.

The two friends bowed to each other, then assumed combat stances; they closed on each other until they were within easy striking distance, then they circled.

 _"She said not to go easy on her,"_ Jack thought to himself, _"But if I don't I might very well kill her; or at least seriously injure her. I hope you'll understand, but I'm going to have to hold back on you Maylene."_

They circled a few times, but Jack didn't feel like wasting time; in a move straight out of one of Maylene's lessons, Jack leapt into the air and spun to gain momentum. When he was almost on top of Maylene, he extended his leg and brought it down on her head like a hammer. Or at least, that was the plan.

At the last second, Maylene reached up and grabbed Jack's leg with one hand; she let gravity pull the rest of Jack's body down until it was in range, then she spun in place and kicked Jack across the arena.

Jack was caught completely by surprise; not as much by the fact that Maylene had stopped his attack, as how she'd stopped it. She was incredibly strong, far stronger than she was last time they sparred; he was tempted to call it superhuman, but he didn't see how that was possible. Unless…

Jack's train of thought was derailed by Maylene.

"I told you," she said. "Don't hold back. It's not just my Pokémon who've gotten stronger, I've been training by butt off too; I have a pretty good idea of what you capable of, and I want you to show me. Now come on."

Jack sighed. "If you want to see what I can do, then be my guest."

With an air of resignation, Jack raised his right arm into the air; above the stadium, dark clouds began to gather. They quickly obscured the sun and cast a black shadow over the arena, forcing the stadium lights to activate just so people could see.

"This is a trick I developed a while ago," Jack said, drawing attention back to himself. "I've only had to use it once, but if you want to see what I can really do then there's no better demonstration. Have you ever heard of the Ability, Motor Drive?"

Maylene was getting a little nervous, but she nodded in acknowledgment.

Jack grinned, but there was a hard edge to it. "It's something like that."

Without any further warning, a bolt of electricity arced down from the clouds and struck Jack's outstretched hand; it was so loud it made the crowd's ears ring, so bright it made them see spots, and so hot it partially melted the ground under Jack's feet turning it into glass. And yet, it was nowhere near as powerful as a real bolt of lightning.

When the spots cleared from Maylene's eyes, she could see sparks of electricity arcing across Jack's entire body; he was vibrating slightly, as though so much raw energy had been packed into his body that he could barely control it. This was only partially true however; he could control it perfectly well.

Jack had two reasons for this display of power; the first was the same reason he wanted to hold the match in the stadium, and make it a public event. He wanted to call attention to himself, and how powerful he had become; someone was stalking him, and Jack wanted to bait them into making their move where and when he could control the terms of their engagement.

The second reason for this, was that he had an itch in the back of his head; a doubt, one which he wanted to either confirm or disprove for certain.

 _"At this point,"_ he thought to himself, _"I'm certain I'm the reason my Pokémon are so… unique. Somehow, and for some reason, me being around them has made them more powerful than is natural; maybe I was around Maylene's Pokémon long enough to have the same effect on them. What troubles me though, is that now Maylene herself is showing almost superhuman strength and reflexes; what if it's not just Pokémon who become more powerful from being around me too long?"_

Jack didn't have an answer to that question; partly because it was rhetorical. Even so, he wanted to know for sure whether Maylene had the same kind of superhuman abilities he did. From what he'd already seen, she was still no match for him; especially not when he was lightning-charged. That being the case, now was the perfect time to surreptitiously test Maylene's newfound power.

With the same amount of physical effort as it would normally take to hop a few inches off the ground, Jack launched himself twenty feet into the air and landed behind a very surprised Maylene; she got over her shock quickly, and roundhouse-kicked him in the face.

Jack took the full force of the impact, and didn't move so much as a centimetre; then responded with the exact same move, a roundhouse-kick. He timed it precisely so that a person with even a slightly above-average reaction time wouldn't be able to dodge it; lo and behold, Maylene evaded it with almost contemptuous ease.

"Are you toying with me?" Maylene asked, slightly disconcerted.

"Not in the slightest," Jack replied.

Without another word, Jack went on the offensive with a flurry of rapid back-to-back punches; Maylene either blocked or dodged all of them, and then launched a counter-attack in the form of a left jab, and then a staggering right cross. Both hits landed hard, but it only concerned Jack because every blow seemed stronger than the last; although he still couldn't say for certain whether or not it was beyond normal human limitations.

Not feeling like beating around the bush any longer, Jack landed one open-palmed blow right to Maylene's midriff; passing through her defenses as though they weren't even there. The hit flung Maylene back several metres, and should have been enough to knock the wind right out of her.

Jack wasn't surprised in the slightest, however, when Maylene didn't even pause for breath and instead came right back at him. She attacked with a rapid volley of left and right jabs, like a boxer; Jack blocked and deflected all of them with ease, but he noticed that her attacks were starting to get faster, and stronger.

Jack decided he'd seen enough for now, and went in for the kill with feint to the left and then a right cross. Maylene seemed to take the bait with the feint, but when Jack tried to go in for the real strike she wasn't where he expected her to be; she was too close to him, which meant…

With a shock Jack realized that Maylene had not only anticipated him, but had moved quickly enough to avoid his attack; more than that though, she could've moved back but instead she ducked his punch and darted in. Almost as if she was going to…

It was at that moment that Jack knew, he messed up; a right cross left him wide open to anything that could get close enough, and Maylene knew it. She uncurled like a spring, and sent her open palm into Jack's lower jaw with the force of her whole body behind it.

The attack lifted Jack off the ground and flung him back several feet; he hit the ground hard, and had the wind knocked out of him. He got up, but he was unsteady; Maylene's attack had not only hurt, but Jack's vision had gone blurry from the impact. His vision cleared just in time to see Maylene's foot make contact with the right side of his face.

Jack went down again, but this time he was a little faster about getting up; the shock had worn off, and he had made a conclusion. Maylene could move faster, hit harder, and take more hits herself than any normal human could. Jack was both relieved, and deeply concerned; the potential repercussion of this were beyond the scope of his imagination. But for right now, he had a sparring match to finish.

Maylene was coming in for another attack, but Jack was done messing around; leaving only a trail of electrical sparks in his wake, Jack closed the distance between Maylene and him before her brain could even register that he'd moved.

What Jack did next would, if he was facing an opponent who could move as fast as he could, have probably cost him the match; he'd seen it in a video game, and figured it was the perfect way to end the fight.

Before Maylene knew what was going on, Jack had leapt over her head, flipped upside-down in mid-air so he could grab her shoulders, and used his momentum to lift her off the ground with him. The moment his feet touched the ground again, Jack braced against it and slingshotted Maylene over his head.

Maylene flew halfway across the battlefield, and hit the ground hard; she rolled several feet before coming to a stop. To Jack's relief, she got up; she looked exhausted, and she was bruised all over, but that was about it. Even so, Jack could see in her eyes that she knew she'd lost.

Jack walked over to the beaten gym leader, and offered her his hand; she shook it, and then pulled Jack into a tight hug. He was initially surprised, but then he figured he should just accept it; it was a friendly hug, between two comrades. Even so, Jack could hear the crowds going wild above them; he had a sneaking suspicion that this scene would be viral by tomorrow, and most likely blown out of all proportion as well.

Even so, as he and Maylene walked back to his suite, he was happy; or maybe… content would be a better word to describe it. Maylene was a good friend, and he was happy to see her again. Her newfound power was a troubling omen, but that didn't really bother him as much as it originally had; at the very least he was confident that, if Maylene did become like him, the power would be in good hands. Better than his at any rate.

As they were walking down the hotel corridor to Jack's suite, Maylene suddenly stumbled; Jack caught her before she could fall, but he could see that she was in worse shape than she let on.

"Are you okay?" Jack asked, putting his right arm around her shoulders.

"Yeah," she said. "I'm okay; just tired."

"I'm sorry," Jack said. "I took it too far."

Maylene shook her head. "No, if it's anyone's fault it's mine; this whole thing was my idea, and I egged you on at every turn. Even when I knew I couldn't beat you."

"You came pretty close though," Jack said. "Here, let me help."

Before Maylene could object Jack put his right arm behind her back, swept his left one under her legs, and began carrying her down the hall bridal-style.

"I don't need your help," Maylene said, somewhat softer than she intended.

Jack looked down at her and grinned. "It doesn't look like you mind all that much; besides, you're not exactly in a position to refuse."

"So, you're going to help me whether I like it or not?" Maylene said skeptically.

Jack nodded. "That's the general idea, yeah."

Maylene sighed and closed her eyes. "If that's the case, then I guess it's alright. Thanks," she added, as if it was just an afterthought.

It took all of Jack's willpower not to laugh, or stare; he'd spent the better part of a month training with Maylene, and pretty much living in her house for all that time, but this was a side of her which he'd never seen before. She was never exactly a stickler for tradition or ceremony, but she still usually maintained a certain amount of decorum.

Jack had always looked up to Maylene as his teacher, but now he was the stronger one. More than that, if her abilities evolved any further he might have to help her master and control them; so what was she to him now? And just as importantly, how did she see him?

For the sake of his mental health, Jack didn't try to answer those question; in all probability, the answers would reveal themselves in due time. And with his luck, he probably wouldn't like them one bit.

* * *

Me: Good grief, that was a lot of writing; I only started these chapters this week. And if you're wondering what I was doing last week, it's the same thing I'll be doing next week; some of you might know this already, but I'm actually in the process of writing a proper novel. It's still in its early stages, _really_ early stages, and I'll probably have to revise it to within an inch of its life once I get the first draft done, but at least I'm making progress. And every review I receive, every tip of the trade or insightful comment, helps me get closer to my goal of becoming a successful author.

Jack: Wow; I thought you were just going to plug your novel, but it turned into some first rate fluff there at the end. Slightly narcissistic fluff, no less; congratulations.

Me: Shut up. Anyway, with that out of the way I have another recommendation this week.

Jack: I love how you assume people actually listen to you.

Me: Shut up. The story I want to recommend today is Dimensional War by OseanSoldier; some of you might remember it from back when I did my top 5 favorite stories over 100,000 long. Well, what can I say; things have only gotten more interesting since then, and they promise to only get more interesting from here. Seriously, things have gotten pretty crazy recently; evil doesn't even begin to describe it. If you're not already following this amazing story, you have no idea how much you're missing out on… How much on which you're missing out?

Jack: Looks right, sounds wrong.

Me: Yeah, I don't know; English is weird. Just go read Dimensional War, it's worth it. See you next time.

Jack: And kids, don't do drugs.

Me: …

Jack: What?

Me: Jack… that was beautiful.

Jack: Can we just end the chapter already?


	5. Reunion: P3

Me: Okay, I know what you're all thinking; I suck. Well sorry, but I just haven't had to work on this story; or anything else for that matter. My schedule was so full these last few weeks, I had to do my home-work at work!

Jack: Save the sob story; you have no excuse.

Me: *sigh* You're right; I've done a terrible thing.

Jack: That's right.

Me: It's completely unforgivable.

Jack: That's right.

Me: And so is what I'm about to do.

Jack: That's… Wait, what?

Me: *pulls lever, which opens a conveniently placed trapdoor under Jack's feet*

Jack: I hate you.

Me: Just fall already.

Jack: Nope; cartoon logic states that I can remain suspended in midair indefinitely, as long as I don't look down.

Me: There's a Spinarak on your foot.

Jack: What? WHERE?!

Me: …

Jack: …

Jack: I hate you. *falls screaming into a bottomless pit, and eventually ends up in Australia*

Me: Now that that's out of the way, at least until he learns how to speak Aussie, we can begin this long overdue chapter. Enjoy.

* * *

After he brought Maylene back to his room, Jack put her down on his bed so she could get some rest. He spent the next ten minutes or so in deep thought; about Maylene mostly, but he also spared some thought for his fellow competitors in the tournament. He wondered how long it would be before he ran into…

At the very moment he had that thought, Jack heard someone knocking at the door to his suite. He was still a little tired from his sparring match with Maylene, since using his new Overdrive technique, as he'd decided to call it, took a lot out of him afterwards; even when he didn't use it to its full extent. So it was with a groan of exertion that Jack pried himself from the couch to go answer the door.

As Jack opened the door he reflected, as he had a hundred times before, that the person on the other side might very well turn out to be an enemy. Maybe even the enemy; the one he'd gone to so much trouble to lure into the open.

 _"Now would be a really bad time to have to face him,"_ Jack commented to himself.

Even so, Jack didn't let it faze him; even in his fatigued condition, he could still break the sound barrier without breaking a sweat. If things went south, he could get everyone to safety in a matter of seconds; everyone including Maylene, of course.

Fortunately, he was spared having to carry Maylene any further; since the face that greeted him at the door was yet another old friend.

"Nicholas!" Jack exclaimed happily.

"How's it going Jack," the red-headed trainer replied, holding out his hand to Jack. "Long time no see."

Jack shook the outstretched hand enthusiastically. "No kidding; I was glad to see you made it, I'm sorry I couldn't catch your first match."

Nicholas grinned. "Yeah, well I saw both of yours; but how on earth did you end up sparring with a Gym Leader? And here of all places."

Jack shrugged. "Maylene and I are old friends; and since the number of challengers at her gym has dropped to zero thanks to this tournament, she decided to drop by and watch."

"Cool," Nicholas replied, grinning cheekishly. "You must be quite the lady's man, to have attracted a gym leader."

Jack chuckled and shook his head. "If I thought you were being serious… But no, you've got the wrong idea altogether; I just trained with her in Veilstone City for a while, she taught me most of what I know about martial arts."

"So, where is she now?" Nicholas asked, peering past Jack into the room. "Last I saw, the two of you were headed in this direction; is she here?"

"She's recovering," Jack said defensively. "I overdid it with that last move."

"So she's sleeping it off," Nicholas said, grinning like a Meowth that just cornered a Rattata. "But where exactly?"

Jack sighed in defeat. "My bed."

Nicholas laughed. "I believe I've proved my point."

"You had a point?" Jack said sarcastically, raising an eyebrow.

"Not really," Nicholas said with a shrug. "Anyway, we really need to catch up on what's been going... Is that Pizza I smell?"

Jack shrugged. "Sorry, we've already finished off the last of it."

Nicholas sank to his knees in mock despair. "No, please; say it ain't so…"

Jack chuckled at the display. "Sorry, but that's that; if you wanted Pizza, you should have ordered some yourself."

Nicholas perked up almost immediately, as though seized by a sudden revelation. "That's not a bad idea," he said thoughtfully. "You had that Pizza for lunch, right? So I'll buy us all Pizza for dinner; my treat."

"Pizza for two meal in a row?" Jack questioned. "That can't be healthy, for Pokémon or human."

Nicholas shrugged. "Who cares? You only live once."

"If so," Jack countered, "Then you should probably try not to get diabetes while you're here."

Nicholas sighed. "You make a good point; fine then, I'll only buy Pizza for my team since we didn't have any, and we just won't give any to you."

"H-hold on now," Jack said in a tone of mock-panic. "let's not be too hasty…"

Jack and Nicholas stood staring at each other for a moment, then both of them burst out laughing.

"It's good to see you again," Nicholas said when he was finished laughing.

"Same here," Jack agreed. "Come on in, I've got some things I want to discuss with you."

In truth, Jack knew exactly what he wanted to talk about; he'd spent plenty of time travelling with Nicholas, and Jack had a sneaking suspicion that the red-headed trainer might have absorbed some of his power as well.

"Hey guys," Jack said as he and Nicholas entered the main room. "Guess who's here?"

Every head in the room simultaneously turned toward Nicholas; the next few minutes were comprised of various forms of greeting, as Jack's team expressed their happiness at seeing Nicholas. Said trainer, after assurance from Jack that it was alright, grabbed his six Pokéballs off his belt and released his team from them.

His team consisted of the same six Pokémon as the last time we saw them, although most of them looked very different; Sunspot had indeed evolved into a Monferno, Hunter had become a Staraptor, Strike was now a Ninjask, Marsh was now a Lombre, and Frostbite had evolved into a Weavile. Only Scatterbolt, who was already a fully evolved Ampharos, had remained unchanged.

Their appearance started a new round of greetings between the two groups of Pokémon, which threatened to become a little too… enthusiastic for the enclosed space. When Jack realized that he'd probably have to pay for any damage to the room, and that Maylene was still trying to sleep, he and Nicholas talked/coerced their respective teams into taking the party outside; at which point silence finally fell on the suite.

"So," Jack said as he and Nicholas sat down on the couch, somewhat tired from the affair. "Like I said, I didn't see your match; you won, obviously, but aside from that how did it go?"

Nicholas leaned back and put his hands behind his head. "Well, it was pretty easy to be honest; a lot easier than I expected. Then again, we've gotten really strong lately; a lot stronger than we were last time we ran into you guys."

"You were pretty strong then, as I recall," Jack replied. "Volkner was hard pressed just to keep up with you."

"It wasn't as one-sided as you make it sound," Nicholas said. "And besides, from what I saw of your battle with him, he didn't stand a chance against you. And from what I saw today, you've gotten even stronger since then too; I mean, seriously. Wendy? The little cutie with the puppy-dog eyes? How'd she get to be such a badass; swinging giant icicles around with her mind like that?"

Jack sighed. "I doubt I'll ever know, although I suspect that Katana might have something to do with it..."

Nicholas chuckled. "I wouldn't put it past her; then again, Wendy might just be getting ready to evolve. I hear a Pokémon's personality can sometimes change right before they evolve."

Jack looked at him curiously. "Really? I know personalities can change after evolution, but before?"

Nicholas scratched his head. "That's what I heard anyway, something about a hormonal imbalance or something like that. Man, now I wish I payed more attention in Biology class…"

"But you think Wendy might be close to evolving?" Jack asked.

Nicholas stroked his chin as though he had a long, sagacious beard. "I've seen my fair share of evolutions, and I've learned a few things about predicting them. There's a certain… feeling to a Pokémon who's about to evolve, and it gets stronger the closer they are; honestly, I'm surprised you haven't picked up on it yet. If I had to guess I'd say that Wendy's within weeks, if not days, of evolving."

Jack absorbed this information thoughtfully, and filed it away for later use. _"I'll have to keep an eye out for that,"_ he thought to himself.

"Anyway," Jack said out loud. "What about you? How have you and your team been since we last saw each other?"

Nicholas shrugged. "Not bad, not bad. I actually caught a couple new Pokémon the other day; a matching set in fact, a brother and sister Eevee."

Jack raised an eyebrow. "Did you now; and how is that working, with the whole 'Six Pokémon limit' thing?"

"Something which doesn't seem to bother you in the slightest," Nicholas shot back with a grin. "Actually, it hasn't been too bad; I make sure to rotate my team every day, so that no one gets left out. Still, I wish I had the guts to keep some unbound from Pokéballs like you do; that would make things simpler, but I just don't have that kind of confidence."

"In what?" Jack asked. "Your Pokémons' loyalty? Because I really don't think you need to worry about that; or are you worried that the Eterna Incident will happen to you?"

Nicholas sighed. "It all worked out for the best in the end, but I don't think I'd be able to do what you did then; if it happened to me, I'd probably freeze up and lose whoever was in trouble. I don't know how you can walk around with half your team vulnerable like that, but I'm jealous of your confidence."

Jack studied the rug; he'd been using the Pack for months now, but it was still one of the only secrets which he was dead set on keeping a secret. But surely… Nicholas at least deserved to know the truth; maybe…

"Nicholas," Jack started.

"Hey," Nicholas suddenly exclaimed. "What time is it?!"

Jack looked up at a clock, conveniently hanging on the wall opposite them.

"Almost five o'clock," Jack said. "Why?"

Nicholas turned to look at him. "At the end of the last match today, they said the round two match-ups would be announced at five sharp."

"We'd better get going then," Jack said, getting up. "Should we wake up Maylene and tell her where we're going?"

"Just write her a note," Nicholas replied.

"I can't write," Jack said.

Nicholas gave him an odd look. "And you never felt the need to tell me that because..."

Jack shrugged. "You never asked."

"Fine," Nicholas said, facepalming, "I'll write the note; where's a pen?"

After Nicholas had written a short note saying where everyone had gone, and placed it on the pillow next to Maylene's head, the two trainers made a beeline for the stadium. Both of them were excited to see who they'd be up against, and both of them hoped it would be each other.

* * *

Me: Okay, not the most action-filled chapter yet; but I felt that I had to officially bring Nicholas back before I moved on to anything else. And now that's out of the way, the action can continue.

Jason: Since Jack is… 'otherwise engaged,' I will stand in for him by saying that's a pretty lame excuse for not giving us any action; or even a good training scene! Not to mention that this chapter is the shortest one yet in the new story, by almost a thousand words.

Me: Like I said, I didn't really have a chance to work on it; I only got it finished yesterday. And I'm honestly sorry about how short it was; it was not my intention to make it so brief, but by the time I was halfway through it my inspiration had all but dried up. The next few chapters will be much better, I promise. And I'll tell you right now, I'm building up to two very important things near the end of the tournament; they'll wrap up some things that have been left hanging since the last half of Book 1, and the second will have repercussions that will echo through the rest of the story. So you have that to look forward to.

Jason: If Jack were here, he'd call you out for making excuses; personally, I am actually interested to see exactly what you intend to do. I mean, I know you're planning something with O…

Me: Say one more word, and you'll join Jack on the other side of the world.

Jason: Understood; although I think I'm starting to put the pieces together.

Me: I don't care about that; just don't spoil it for the readers. I'm trying to be evil here, and I don't want you messing it up.

Jason: Fine.

Me: Anyway everyone, see you in the next chapter.


	6. The upcoming battle

Me: Well, I made it; I had to stay up most of last night and work on it all of this morning, but I got this chapter finished in time to upload it.

Jack: Just barely.

Me: Oh, you're back are you?

Jack: I'd think you'd be a little less happy to see me, considering you dropped me down a bottomless hole.

Me: I believe we've already established what happens when we really fight, but I don't think either of us would be happy if we couldn't take pot-shots at each other every now and again; for comedic effect if nothing else.

Jack: That's true, I suppose. So, like this? *Kicks me in the groin*

Me: *doubles over* You *wheeze* son of a…

Jack: *kicks me again* Please, mind your language; and don't insult my mom. Anyway folks, enjoy the chapter.

* * *

Katana grinned in satisfaction as her opponent, an abnormally large Charizard, crashed to the ground; out cold. Their second round match was against another trainer they'd never met before, and Jason and Katana made short work of his team; even while being careful to only use four moves from their respective arsenals.

Jack's match was one of the first of the day so once it was over, not a long wait, he and his team headed up to the competitors' seating area; a reporter-free zone, thankfully. Unfortunately, it seemed that the other trainers there had all heard of Jack; and they seemed to have heard nothing but bad news.

Jack had long since learned to ignore these kinds of borderline-hostile glances, but he knew his team felt them acutely; especially Lucy, Wendy, and Cap. Although Thomas looked like he couldn't care less about how people were looking at him, and Katana was giving back just as good as she got.

"Are you guys okay, or should we just go back to the room?" Jack telepathically asked his team.

"We'll be fine," Lucy said. "Sticks and stones, and all that."

"Yeah, she's right," Jason agreed. "After all, you have to deal with this all the time; the least we can do is endure this much."

There was a general chorus of agreement, and Cap even managed to hold his chin a little higher; Jack felt himself getting a little too warm and fuzzy inside for his tastes, so he turned his attention back to the matches that were currently happening. One in particular caught his eye, and we all know how painful that can be.

"Ouch," Jack exclaimed, flinching a little.

He'd looked at one of the screens lining the upper wall of the arena, which were displaying the matches going on in the other two small arenas, just in time to see an enormous Snorlax land on a Grumpig in a Body Slam attack which, understandably, left Grumpig seeing stars.

"Death by Snorlax butt," Jack commented to himself, wincing. "That can't be pleasant..."

The screen flashed to a different view, which showed a familiar face.

Jack grinned. "So, Ash made it to the second round; and now he's qualified for the third too. I wonder who else made it…"

Just then, Jack noticed a face on another screen; his grin faded as he recognized it. Paul had also won his round two match, and without a single Pokémon knocked out.

"Well," Jack mumbled sarcastically, "That's all I needed; first Tobias, now Paul's still in it too; with my luck, I'll be fighting one of them next round…"

Jack watched the rest of the matches closely; all thirteen of them. He didn't recognize any of the other winners except for Tobias, who once again won with only his Darkrai; aside from him, Ash, and Paul, none of the other round two winners would be much trouble to beat as they were. Then the last round two match started, and Jack suddenly knew he'd forgotten someone on that list.

"Nicholas," Jack said with a nod. "Let's see how strong you've become."

The answer, quite frankly, was somewhat frightening; Nicholas not only won his match but he won only using two Pokémon. The red-haired trainer called out Sunspot first, and the Infernape blew through his opponent's first two Pokémon like it was nothing; Nicholas then recalled Sunspot and sent out Frostbite, who made short work of their opponent's last Pokémon.

In all, it was obvious that Nicholas was in a completely different league from the other trainer; in fact, Jack was almost as apprehensive about fighting him as he was about Tobias. At least with Darkrai he had a fairly good idea what he'd be up against; Nicholas's team, however, had obviously absorbed quite a bit of his power. The trouble was, Jack had no idea how much; Nicholas's team might very well be almost as strong as Jack's, but he wouldn't know until they actually fought. Hopefully, it would be a while.

Now that the second round matches were complete, people were sitting at the edge of their seats; the round three match-ups were about to be announced. The screens lit up like before with the faces of the remaining competitors on cards, which were then shuffled and paired up.

The first thing Jack noticed was who he was facing next round; it was Nicholas.

* * *

"Well, this is just great," Jack muttered to himself on the way back to his room. "No sooner do I find out that Nicholas is might be a match for me, than I find out I'll be fighting him tomorrow. And then there's Tobias and Darkrai… If that Darkrai is actually the real deal, then something funny is going on."

Well, that really went without saying but he also knew a few things about Darkrai; having run into him once before. And what he'd seen of Tobias's Darkrai just didn't fit in with what he knew of the original; then again, maybe there was something he didn't know.

In either case, he needed as much intel as he could get; Darkrai alone would not be an insurmountable challenge, but it begged the question of what other Pokémon Tobias had on his team of six.

"And while I'm gathering information on Tobias," Jack said to no one in particular, "I might just be able to dig up something on Nicholas's team as well."

To find said information, Jack headed for the Pokémon Centre located near the stadium; more importantly, the second floor computer room. However, as he turned a corner and spotted the door to the computer room, the door opened and out stepped the one person he'd hoped not to run into.

"Paul," Jack said grimly.

"Jack Storm," Paul replied; his demeanor was calm and cold as always, but Jack could see fear in his eyes. Paul was still afraid of him after all this time, and he had good right to be.

"I suppose running into you was only a matter of time," Jack said.

"Indeed," Paul replied. "I knew it was inevitable from the moment I saw you in the first round match-ups."

"I'll never forgive you, you know," Jack said sharply. "I'll never forgive you for how you treated Lucy, the Absol I rescued from you all those months ago; you never even knew how much she'd already suffered when you found her, and yet she suffered more at your hands than at anyone else's."

"If she suffered so much, then TELL ME!"

Paul half-shouted the last two words in Jack's face, as though challenging him to react in anger; Paul stared into Jack's eyes and Jack saw the boy's fear, but he also saw defiance. Disbelief even; Paul didn't believe him, or didn't want to believe.

Jack came to a decision. "Follow me," he said, turning and walking back down the hallway to the main sitting area; somewhat to his surprise, Paul followed him.

Jack and Paul sat opposite each other at a table, and Jack began recounting Lucy's story. How her peaceful, happy childhood was shattered by poachers, who killed her parents and separated her from her older brother; how she got shunted from one cruel, abusive trainer to the next before eventually being abandoned at a Pokémon Daycare.

He told Paul how, at that daycare, Lucy finally found some friends and was happy again for a time, until he came around.

"You were the worst of any trainer she'd ever had," Jack said. "You took her away from the only happiness she'd known since she lost her parents, and you forced her to 'train' every day until all she could do was collapse on the ground, with bleeding welts on her back from enduring so many attacks. She isolated herself from your other Pokémon because she didn't want to be betrayed again; she assumed that anyone who tried to get close to her would hurt and betray her eventually, because pain and betrayal were all she knew! From what she told me, you were even planning on having her breed with one of your other Pokémon; as though she were just a dumb animal!"

By the time he finished, Jack was almost shouting in barely-restrained fury; but then he calmed down, and stared Paul in the eyes.

"I can only thank God that I won her from you before you could do that, or anything else to her," Jack said, his anger going from intensely hot to bitterly cold in a matter of seconds, as he stared Paul down.

The purple-haired trainer took in Jack's words silently, and then stood up without a word and walked away from Jack towards the door of the Center; Jack watched him go, but didn't try to stop him. He'd gotten himself all worked up, and he didn't trust himself not to let his anger manipulate him. But then, just as the door closed behind Paul, Jack saw a flash of light reflect off the boy's chin; as if it were wet.

Jack's anger faded away like fog before the afternoon sun, and was replaced by confusion; had his story actually... gotten through to Paul? If so, then this was not the same arrogant trainer he'd met in the forest all those months ago; Jack just hoped he was actually right about that.

Seeing no point on dwelling on it further, and remembering his reason for coming here in the first place, Jack got up and went back to the second floor computer room. As he opened the door, he saw Ash, Dawn, Brock, and two other boys talking over at the computers; one had straw-blond hair and was wearing an orange and white striped shirt, and this other had dark green hair, glasses, and was wearing a green shirt and jacket.

"Tobias?" Ash asked the green-haired boy.

"He's the trainer who won both his first and second round, using only his Darkrai the whole time," the green-haired trainer replied.

"Only Darkrai for the second round too?" Ash said.

"True," the trainer said. "And that's not all; Tobias won all eight of his gym battles using only his Darkrai as well."

"That's what I heard," Jack said, walking over to them. "Is there any good information on him?"

"Jack," Ash exclaimed. "You're here looking for Tobias's data too?"

Jack nodded and was about to say something when the other trainer, the blond one, interrupted him.

"You… You're Jack Storm, aren't you!" the blond trainer exclaimed.

Jack shrugged. "Yeah, pretty much; apparently my reputation precedes me."

"I'll say," the trainer said excitedly. "Aside from this Tobias guy, you're all anyone ever talks about around here."

"And you would be…" Jack asked him.

"My name is Barry," he said. "Remember it, because I'm the guy who's gonna beat you."

"And my name is Conway," the other trainer said. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

Jack nodded. "Likewise. Now then, what can you tell me about Tobias."

"Not much I'm afraid," Conway said. "There's barely any info on him in the database, and nothing about what other Pokémon he might have."

"By the way Conway," Dawn said. "Why were you looking up Tobias's data anyway?"

Conway smiled and nodded towards Jack. "For the same reason he is, I'll bet; because at some point, we might get matched up. After I beat Ashy, of course."

"What was that?!" Ash exclaimed, springing from his seat.

Conway chuckled. "Well anyway, have yourselves a lovely night; bye Dawn."

With that, Conway disappeared behind one of the dividing walls separating the rows of computers; Jack didn't even see the trainer leave the room, although a quick scan with an auric probe told him that he had.

Dawn sighed; apparently she didn't like this Conway guy as much as he seemed to like her.

"I give up," Barry said, standing up, "No sense in making myself nuts."

"Now that's the spirit!" Ash said enthusiastically. "Just go for it!"

"You're right," Barry agreed, equally enthusiastic. "Just go for it!"

"Like you're going for broke," Dawn commented, although she didn't seem to share the boys' enthusiasm.

"Wanna go for a run?" Barry asked Ash.

"You bet, that's a great idea!" Ash replied.

The two trainers raced out of the room like a pair of Linoon, leaving everyone else slightly confused.

"What are they running for?" Dawn said, clearly not amused.

"They're trying to burn off some of their excitement," Brock said.

"Are they always like this?" Jack said.

Dawn sighed. "Barry is, and he rubs off on Ash whenever they're near each other."

"I see," Jack said with a grin. "They're good friends then?"

Brock nodded. "Yeah; we ran into Barry a long time ago, literally ran into him, and he and Ash struck off well."

"They're too much alike not to," Dawn said. "They're both children at heart."

Jack grinned. "I hear all the best people are."

"Anyway, we'd better get going," Brock said. "It was nice seeing you again Jack, good luck with your next match."

"Thanks," Jack replied. "Tell Ash I wished him good luck with his; that Conway guy looks like he could be trouble."

"He's definitely trouble…" Dawn said ruefully.

"We'll tell him," Brock said. "See you."

After Brock and Dawn were gone, Jack turned to the first computer he saw.

"Now then Nicholas," he said to thin air. "Let's see what the internet knows about you."

* * *

Jack: Because the Internet knows all!

Me: It certainly seems to; a lot more than it should anyway.

Jack: Don't give me that; you use walkthroughs just like everybody else.

Me: Shut up. Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed the chapter; don't worry, the action will be picking up again soon. I just wanted to build the tension a little more first.

Jack: You are an evil person; you know that, don't you?

Me: Oh believe me; you haven't seen the half of it. I'll see you in your nightmares! *laughs evilly*

Jack: I thought you agreed not to do that any more...


	7. Jack vs Nicholas: P1

Me: Okay, okay; I'm sorry, again.

Jack: If you don't start sticking to the schedule, I'm going to have to get Jason to keep an eye on you. Seriously, when was the last time you actually had a chapter done when you were supposed to?

Me: The last one was on time.

Jack: Just barely; the fact stands, something has to be done about this. And don't try to pin it on school or work, because you still have plenty of free time after those are done.

Me: *sighs* You're right, you're right; I have been slacking off when it comes to this story. But can I just say something?

Jack: No.

Me: Okay, just checking. Enjoy the chapter everybody.

* * *

Jack did his best to smother his apprehension as he looked across the battlefield at Nicholas, who was grinning confidently. He and Nicholas hadn't faced off in quite some time, and Jack was more than a little wary of the red-headed trainer.

Jack knew that of the two of them, Jack's team was almost certainly the stronger, but he also knew that Nicholas was clever; the red-haired trainer would be well aware that Jack had the advantage in power, so he was sure to have some kind of plan.

Jack had watched and re-watched Nicholas's second round match several times, but he couldn't get much from it; Nicholas had made short work of his opponent's team without pushing any of his Pokémon anywhere close to their limit, and probably without even using their full arsenal of moves. That being the case, Jack's couldn't accurately judge how strong they were; and even if he could, Jack had only seen two of Nicholas's team leaving the others a completely mystery.

Nicholas, on the other hand, had seen both Jack's first and second round matches; and during the first round alone Jack had given away more information on his team's strength than Nicholas had. The battle might be no problem whatsoever for all Jack knew, but he wasn't about to bet money on that.

Jack turned his attention to the field on which they'd be fighting; a giant swimming pool dotted here and there with decidedly unstable-looking floating platforms, each one about a meter and a half wide. Water-Types had an obvious advantage here, although Jack noted to himself that Ice or Electric-Type moves could also be decidedly effective. It reminded him of his battle with Crasher Wake at the Pastoria City Gym; although then the element of surprise had been with him.

"Are you ready, Jack?" Nicholas said. "Because I'm about to break that winning streak of yours."

Jack grinned; Nicholas was still Nicholas, and Jack was grateful for that. "You and what army? Katana, you're up!"

"Scatterbolt, go get 'em!" Nicholas said, lobbing the Ampharos's Pokéball onto one of the floating platforms.

[Katana (Scyther) Age: 22. Ability: Technician. Moves: Fury Cutter, Agility, Quick Attack, Fly, Fake Out, Shadow Claw, and Air Slash.]

The two Pokémon appeared in the customary flashes of white light; Scatterbolt standing on his platform, and Katana hovering in mid-air above hers. Jack smiled in satisfaction; a Flying-Type against an Electric-Type might seem like a bad match-up, but Katana had a few tricks up her figurative sleeves.

"BATTLE BEGIN!" called the referee.

Almost before the referee had finished, the arena exploded into a blur of action; surprisingly, to Jack at least, Nicholas beat him to making the first move. Scatterbolt unleashed an intensely powerful Discharge attack which turned the entire battlefield into a minefield, as arcs of electricity crackled through the air and the water; Katana responded quickly with Agility, but she was still hard pressed to dodge the electrical bombardment.

Realizing that she couldn't stay on the defensive forever, Katana decided to take the initiative; with a speed that would've even made Aura proud, Katana lunged in with Quick Attack. Scatterbolt saw the attack coming, but couldn't move fast enough to do anything about it; Katana slammed into him, knocking him flying.

Scatterbolt fell into the pool with a resounding splash, and before the Ampharos could recover Katana fired an Air Slash after him; the second attack landed another resounding hit, and Scatterbolt was plunged underwater.

Katana knew that if she tried going after the Electric-Type, it wouldn't end well; so all she could do was wait for her opponent to resurface. She waited, and waited, and waited…

Katana would've scowled, if her face had been built for such an expression; as it was, she simply let out an exclamation of impatience. Scatterbolt wasn't surfacing, in fact she couldn't see him anywhere.

 _"He couldn't have been knocked out by just two attacks,"_ Katana thought to herself.

 _"You're right,"_ Jack suddenly replied telepathically, causing Katana to shudder slightly. _"He's definitely planning something; if you sense anything out of the ordinary, fly up. Fast."_

" _Yeah, I know,"_ Katana replied. " _Just… Could you please not do that while I'm trying to concentrate?"_

 _"Oh, yeah; sorry,"_ Jack said apologetically.

Katana was about to respond, when her combat reflexes kicked in; developed over years of clan-wars, they propelled her into the air before she even realized she was in danger. Barely a heartbeat later, the platform she'd been standing on was knocked to the side like a hockey puck on ice; if Katana had still been standing on it, she would've been knocked off her feet and fallen into the water.

As it was, Katana kept the presense of mind to fire up and launch another Air Slash straight downwards; right where she figured Scatterbolt should be. Her attack collided with a brilliant ray of multi-coloured light, a Signal Beam technique, and the two canceled each other out.

 _"Nicholas has gotten strong indeed,"_ Jack commented for the benefit of the readers. _"He didn't give Scatterbolt any audible instructions about that little trick; he just said 'Iron Tail', and Scatterbolt knew to knock the platform out of the way. And by the time Nicholas called for Signal Beam, Scatterbolt had already prepared the attack. They must have practiced that manoeuvre, or something like it, until they knew it off by heart. Either that, or…"_

Or Nicholas had some sort of psychic connection with his Pokémon just like Jack himself did; although, Jack guessed that Nicholas probably didn't realize it. From extensive research on the subject, Jack knew that weak, latent telepathic connections weren't uncommon between trainers and their Pokémon; not enough for them to consciously transmit thoughts back and forth, even if they tried, but enough to make them uncannily good at anticipating each other.

 _"If that's the case,"_ Jack thought to himself. _"Then this fight just became harder; I'll need to keep on my toes. I'm glad Katana's on point, it's almost like she can feel their moves coming before they make them; I guess experience helps."_

Those thoughts flashed through Jack's head in the time it took him to blink, and then he was back to focusing on the battle. Katana was still hovering above the water, waiting for Scatterbolt to show himself; at that point, it was her only real option. If she went in after Scatterbolt he'd just zap her with an Electric-Type move, and Katana didn't have any moves that could force his hand, or paw; so she had to wait for him to come to her. The only problem was, Scatterbolt had a serious advantage in long-ranged combat.

Scatterbolt surfaced suddenly and fired off another Signal Beam from the water; Katana evaded it easily and was quick to retaliate with Air Slash, but Scatterbolt just dove underwater again. The Ampharos was surprisingly agile in the water.

It didn't take a strategic genius to figure out that they were at a stalemate, so Jack sighed and recalled Katana to her Pokéball; despite numerous, and loud, complaints from the Pokémon in question at being taken out of battle so soon. Jack made a show of rummaging around in his backpack for a second, while deftly and discretely placing her back in the Pack and retrieving someone more suited to the task at hand.

His covert operation complete, Jack turned back to the battlefield and released his one 'mon army.

"Solomon, you're up!"

[Solomon (Kadabra) Age: 18. Ability: Magic Guard. Moves: Teleport, Shadow Ball, Psychic, Sleep Talk, Flamethrower, Thunderbolt, and Ice Beam.]

Solomon's diverse moveset had come in handy more than once; against the Snowpoint City Gymleader, for instance. Plus, Nicholas had no way of knowing how Solomon fought since the Kadabra hadn't participated in Jack's first or second round matches; the advantage was solidly with Solomon, and Nicholas knew it.

Before Jack could so much as call out a command, Nicholas once again beat him to the punch; Scatterbolt resurfaced and fired a Signal Beam at Solomon, but the Kadabra simply teleported out of the way.

Scatterbolt tried to dive back underwater again but Solomon re-appeared levitating above him, stretched out one hand, and fired an Ice Beam straight downwards; the attack hit Scatterbolt square on the head and froze the water around him solid.

Scatterbolt was caught by the ice in a rather undignified position; lying horizontally, half-submerged in the ice with his rear end sticking up. Fortunately, the Ampharos's head was also above water.

Solomon's eyes glowed with purple energy as he used Psychic to lift Scatterbolt, iceberg included, up into the air; Scatterbolt desperately attempted to break the ice with Iron Tail, but it didn't work.

Solomon flicked the Ampharos-icle up in the air above him, turned his head upwards to look at his opponent, and then unleashed a powerful Flamethrower at him; the attack hit the chunk of ice, and Scatterbolt, full on. The collision raised a large cloud of steam which obscured the results; Solomon could feel that the iceberg had vaporized, leaving only a slightly crispy Ampharos behind, so he released his telekinetic hold and let Scatterbolt drop into the water to cool off.

As Scatterbolt fell however, his eyes opened and his tail started to glow; spinning in the air to gain momentum, Scatterbolt attempted to bring an Iron Tail attack right down on Solomon's head, but was met with a Psychic hand that swatted him out of the arena and into the wall of the colosseum. That time, he decided to stay down.

Nicholas recalled the battered (and fried) Ampharos to his Pokéball with an almost apologetic expression, mumbling something that Jack didn't quite catch. The red-headed trainer then unclipped another Pokéball from his belt and tossed it onto one of the platforms.

"Strike, go get 'em!" he shouted.

The recently evolved Ninjask appeared in a flash of light and hovered above the water for a second. Then, it was off; it was fast, but nowhere near fast enough. Solomon readied a Flamethrower attack, intending to fill the air with cinders to impede his opponent's movements, but Strike beat him to the punch.

"Sorry about this," the Ninjask said as he blinked into existence behind Solomon, and landed a super effective Feint Attack which knocked him into the water.

As Solomon levitated himself out of the water, he noticed that Strike was glowing with an eerie green energy.

"I see you've noticed," Strike buzzed. "My ability is Speed Boost; I'm afraid you have no chance against me now."

The green aura around Strike momentarily flashed white as the Ninjask used Agility, increasing his speed even more; Solomon fired blast of Psychic at him, hoping to catch him off guard, but Strike disappeared in a blur before the attack could hit.

Solomon quickly sent out a mental probe to find the Ninjask, but before he could he was hit by an attack from behind; another Feint Attack, even more powerful than the last. Solomon was knocked flying again, but he caught himself before he could hit the water.

Solomon's mind raced in an attempt to come up with a counter-strategy; something, anything, to counter Strike's intense speed. After two powerful, super effective attacks, Solomon couldn't afford to take any more.

Strike readied another Feint Attack; Solomon knew that if it hit, he'd be in serious trouble. He knew Strike's attack pattern, but it didn't do any good if he couldn't move fast enough to counter it; he had to catch Strike by surprise somehow.

Then, he got it; it was something he'd seen some of Ash's Pokémon do on multiple occasions, and it seemed to be singularly effective. But best of all, neither Strike nor Nicholas would see it coming. Solomon quickly shared his idea with Jack.

 _"It's so crazy,"_ Jack said with a grin, _"It just might work."_

With a new plan, Solomon conjured up a Flamethrower in each hand; Strike saw it and moved in to attack pre-emptively, just as Solomon knew he would. With Jack providing the split-second timing required for the plan to work, Solomon started building up as much telekinetic energy as he could; waiting for the perfect moment.

Strike blinked out of existence, almost definitely to make another sneak attack from behind; Solomon couldn't see him, and he wasn't trying to. That was Jack's job. Jack had extended his aura over the entire battlefield. He could sense every move the Ninjask made at the exact moment he made it. Was it cheating? Probably, but Jack couldn't afford to lose this fight; for several reasons. So as guilty as he felt, Jack didn't hesitate.

 _"Now!"_ Jack shouted into Solomon's mind.

The moment he registered Jack's order, Solomon released the telekinetic energy he'd been building up all at once; but not at Strike, that would be too obvious an attack. He'd sense it coming and avoid it. No, Solomon directed the energy and the twin Flamethrowers he was holding; fanning them up into a roaring inferno and then spinning them around himself like a cocoon. Or a tornado. A technique Ash seemed fond of calling a 'Counter Shield'.

Jack's timing was dead on; the blast of fire came around behind Solomon at the exact same moment that Strike did, crashing into the unfortunate Ninjask's left side. Strike was instantly swept up by the fiery vortex, and tossed around like a leaf in the wind for several seconds before Solomon let the whirlwind die down.

No sooner did Solomon release his control over the fiery tornado than Strike was right back on the offensive, diving down at Solomon with another Feint Attack; but this time Solomon managed to teleport away in plenty of time. Strike had taken a lot of damage from Solomon's attack, and the Ninjask seemed to be slowing down.

Strike tried one more time, rushing in with Quick Attack; compared to his former speed, it looked like he was flying in slow motion. Solomon saw it coming from a mile away and intercepted it with a powerful Thunderbolt, and then a blast of Psychic. Strike was down for the count.

* * *

Me: Well, how was that for action?

Jack: Not bad, not bad; although I notice you leave us on a bit of a cliffhanger.

Me: That was unavoidable; this was always going to be a two, maybe even three-part battle. Any less wouldn't do it justice.

Jack: True that; anything else to report?

Me: Not really; although I'm looking forward to writing the second part of the battle, it's gonna be good. To all you readers, I hope you enjoyed this chapter; and I'll see you in the next one.


	8. Jack vs Nicholas: P2

Solomon was breathing heavily as Nicholas recalled Strike to his Pokéball; the last battle had been a hard one, and the Kadabra had only won by a matter of milliseconds. Solomon wouldn't be able to go another round, and both he and Jack knew it.

"Solomon, return," Jack said as he recalled Solomon to the Pokéball. "You've earned some rest. And besides," he whispered softly, "I think Aura wants to congratulate you or something."

Jack could almost feel Solomon smiling contentedly from inside the Pokéball as he walked over to the Pack and did another quick switcheroo.

"Katana," he said, tossing her Pokéball onto a platform, "You're up."

Katana had suffered only minimal damage, and would have been furious if she didn't get another shot; so Jack figured it was best for everyone if she went next, even though he had a pretty good idea who Nicholas would call out for his final Pokémon. As it turned out, his hunch was right.

"Sunspot," Nicholas said, "Go get 'em!"

The Infernape appeared in the customary flash of white light, and looked at his opponent with a grin.

"Huh," Sunspot said with a shrug. "And here I was hoping I'd get to fight Jason right off the bat; but I guess he'll come out after I've taken you down."

"Why do you want to fight Jason so badly?" Katana asked curiously.

"Isn't it obvious?" the Infernape said. "This is the moment Nicholas and I have been waiting for! Jason is the most powerful of you, and I've been going through non-stop special training specifically so I'd be able to beat him; after that, the rest of the tournament will be a walk in the park, no one will be able to stop us. Then one day, we'll challenge Cynthia and Nicholas will become the Sinnoh Champion!"

"Those are some pretty big aspirations you have," Katana shot back. "You're starting to sound like some cheesy comic-book villain."

Sunspot huffed. "Oh yeah? Well you're starting to 'bug' me; get ready to get squashed."

"Just try it," Katana snarled, raising her scythes and settling into a fighting stance.

"My pleasure."

Without any further warning, Sunspot launched himself at Katana with Fire Punch; Katana could've tried to dodge, but she had a better idea. Instead of avoiding it, she lunged at her opponent with her left scythe outstretched as if to impale the incoming Infernape.

To avoid being skewered, Sunspot was forced to abandon his attack and veer to the left. Katana's left scythe flew past him, missing him by inches, but then she spun and brought the blunt edge of her right scythe down on Sunspot's head; completing her Fake Out technique.

The surprise attack left Sunspot stunned for a second, which was long enough for Katana to turn around and send him flying with a super-effective Air Slash.

Sunspot landed in the water with a large splash and a billowing pillar of steam; the Infernape clambered onto a platform a few seconds later, dripping wet from head to foot. Even his head flame had been extinguished, although he'd barely been out of the water for three seconds before it blazed into life again. Still, it was clear that Sunspot's little dip in the pool had weakened and winded him; his chest was heaving as he attempted to balance on the unsteady platform.

Katana figured it was as good a time as any to press her advantage, and rushed in with Quick Attack. She closed in on Sunspot before he could steady himself, and slammed her shoulder in his chest. Or at least, that was the plan.

At the last second, Sunspot planted his feet and threw a perfectly timed punch into Katana's incoming midsection; using her own momentum against her. A perfect Counter.

The blow knocked the air out of Katana's lungs, and even fractured her exoskeleton slightly; despite it being doubly ineffective based on Type, it had still been a powerful hit.

"Nice try," Sunspot said, waiting for Katana to catch her breath. "But like I said, I've been training to beat Jason; you never stood a chance."

Katana looked at the INfernape, and noted that his fur was completely dry; and the heat coming off of him was so intense it stung her eyes. There was no sign that he'd been submerged in the pool mere moments before.

Jack pulled out Katana's Pokéball. Sunspot was right, Katana couldn't win this fight; he could feel the pain of her cracked exoskeleton as acutely as if it was his own. He had to call her back before she got even more badly hurt.

"Katana, re…"

"Don't you dare!" the Scyther snapped, giving him a look that would've stopped a rampaging Touros in its tracks.

"You're injured," Jack said, switching to Pokéspeak. "You need to rest."

"I'm fine," Katana insisted. "I've fought, and won, with way worse injuries than this. Don't worry about me."

Jack sighed, and switched to telepathic communication. _"You do realize you can't win this fight, right?"_

 _"Maybe not,"_ Katana said, eliciting a raised eyebrow from Jack; it wasn't like her to admit something like that. _"But there's no way I'm going down easy; you can be sure I'll give him a run for his money at least."_

Jack considered calling her back whether she liked it or not, but he decided against it. Katana knew her own limits better than he ever could; if she said she was fine, he knew he could trust her.

"Alright then," he said aloud finally, with an air of resignation. "Just make sure you leave some of him for Jason; after all the boasting Sunspot's been doing, Jason will be disappointed if he doesn't get to beat him up himself."

Katana gave him what equated to a knowing grin. "All right then, I'll do my best."

The brief respite over, Katana lost no time going on the offensive; proving Jack's faith in her to be well-placed, she moved as though her injury didn't exist. She opened up with Agility, stretching to relieve the tension in her muscles; then she launched herself into the air with Fly, and began raining down Air Slash attacks on the battlefield below.

The tactic caught Sunspot by surprise, and he was hard pressed to avoid the powerful blasts of compressed air. But as he avoided them, they simply crashed into the water instead; stirring it up and creating waves which threatened to capsize the floating platforms on the surface.

Sunspot struggled to keep his balance on the suddenly choppy water, and would've probably fallen in if Katana hadn't had to rest for a second before continuing her assault; her cracked exoskeleton was causing her more trouble, and pain, than she cared to admit. If she couldn't wrap this up quickly, she knew she would lose.

After catching her breath, Katana resumed her barrage of Air Slash attacks; but this time, Sunspot was ready for it. The Infernape charged up a massive Fire Blast and launched straight upwards; it absorbed the first volley of Air Slashes and exploded in a cloud of smoke.

Sunspot had barely fired the first Fire Blast before he started preparing the next, in anticipation of a second volley from Katana; but the Scyther had other ideas. Instead of attacking from a distance she darted from the sky, using the explosion for cover, and closed in with Shadow Claw.

Sunspot barely had time to unleash a Fire Blast in her face, but she slashed her way through it and kept coming like a juggernaut. Sunspot, who had unconsciously relaxed a little when he saw his Fire Blast seemingly hit her square on, was unprepared for the ferocity of Katana's attack and took a substantial hit.

Katana struck again, forcing Sunspot to counter with Fire Punch; black flames and red flames striking each other again and again. The two traded blows like they were going out of style, neither managing to gain any real advantage.

Then, suddenly Sunspot became aware that his feet were no more than a few inches from the edge of the platform; he'd lost ground to Katana's relentless assault, and he was running out of ground to lose.

Sensing the opening she needed, Katana took advantage of Sunspot's position and launched one final, reckless attack. Bringing both her scythes down over her head in an X shape, she forced Sunspot to block it with both his arms; but as he braced himself against a blow which never landed, he stumbled forward slightly and ran right into Katana's head.

Being a foot taller than the Infernape, Katana was able to throw her entire body behind her surprise headbutt; connecting hard with Sunspot's forehead, and knocking him back into the water with a satisfying splash.

"Ha," Katana exclaimed smugly, if exhaustedly, as Sunspot thrashed desperately to get back to a platform. "That'll teach you to mess with me, kid. Next time you feel like bragging about how great you are, just remember how I sent you butt-first into the pool."

Her pride satisfied, Katana collapsed backwards onto the platform; completely spent. Jack was by her side in a heartbeat, making sure she was alright; her aura was still strong as ever, but she was too exhausted to stand up. Much less fight. Jack returned her to her Pokéball without so much as a complaint from her.

"You fought well," he said as he hopped from platform to platform back to his side of the battlefield. "Take a good rest; this won't take long."

Jack put her back in the Pack and started the almost unconscious action of punching in Jason's number on the keypad, but then he stopped. Jason was the obvious choice to fight next, and yet… Another idea began taking shape in Jack's mind.

From what he'd seen so far it seemed his fears as to Nicholas's strength were largely unfounded; he was strong to be sure, his team was one of the most powerful Jack had ever fought. Still, after fighting toe-to-toe with Katana, even Sunspot must be feeling a little fatigued.

Jack remembered what Nicholas had said some time ago, and came to a decision; not only would it be the perfect counter to Sunspot's fighting style, but if what Nicholas said was true then they might even be able to expect a few surprises mid-battle.

Jack punched in a different number, to the surprise and alarm of everyone inside the Pack, save one, and walked back to the battlefield. He grinned confidently at Nicholas, who suddenly looked a little bit worried.

"Come on!" Sunspot shouted, his head-flame flaring up like a bonfire. "Call him out already; let's get this over with."

Jack shrugged. "Alright, you asked for it."

With that, he tossed the Pokéball onto a platform; the Pokémon who appeared, however, was quite a bit smaller than Jason.

"Wendy, you're up," Jack said with a smug grin.

[Wendy (Kirlia) Age: 12. Ability: Trace. Moves: Magical Leaf, Hypnosis, Psychic, Teleport, and Light Screen.]

"Are you kidding me!?" Sunspot exclaimed. "She's just a kid; you expect me to fight a kid?"

Wendy folded her arms. "Who are you calling a kid; Aunt Katana says I'm a young adult, and old enough to stand up for myself."

Sunspot looked at her standing there, arms crossed defiantly, and broke out laughing.

Wendy huffed. "I'll teach you to laugh at me, Mr. Sunspot."

Without any further warning, Wendy's eyes glowed with Psychic energy and she telekinetically flipped the platform on which Sunspot was standing; dumping him unceremoniously into the water once again. Now it was Wendy's turn to giggle uncontrollably.

Sunspot was in a much worse mood when he clambered out of the water for the third time that day.

"Okay," he growled, "That's it; no more mister nice guy. I'm gonna… H-hey, what're you doing?! Put me down!"

Before he could finish his threat, Wendy picked him up with Psychic and began waving him around in the air like a ragdoll; before letting him fall into the water again with a splash.

This time as Sunspot clambered onto a nearby platform, he didn't waste any time in charging up a quick Fire Blast and sending it in Wendy's direction; it looked like a direct hit, but when the smoke cleared there was no trace of Wendy.

Sunspot turned around quickly, and found himself staring into a pair of… beautiful, ruby-red eyes; like the sun just before it dipped below the horizon. Then, he heard a voice.

 _"Sleep,"_ it said. _"Close your eyes and take a good long nap."_

It was the most beautiful sound Sunspot had ever heard; like a choir of angels singing in harmony, like the tinkling of chimes, it drowned out any other. He longed to hear that wonderful voice, and stare into those beautiful eyes, for all eternity. Their effect was almost mesmerising.

No, that wasn't the right word; but for the life of him he couldn't find a right one, and the attempt was tiring him out. Maybe he should take the voice's suggestion and go to sleep, but what was that word? It was... His eyelids were getting heavy, but what was that word? It was… It was… It was…

Hypnotic.

Sunspot snapped out of the trance with a roar of _extreme_ disapproval, startling Wendy nearly out of her wits. Before she could comprehend what had happened, Sunspot had charged up a Fire Blast and spat it, point blank, into her face.

Wendy was blasted into the air by the roaring column of flames, and fell into the water; which in all probability is what saved her, since when she resurfaced she was covered in burn marks. She telekinetically levitated herself out of the water, but didn't shake the water off; she realized now it might come in handy to be soaked to the skin.

Before Sunspot could launch any more attacks, Wendy quickly used Light Screen; a good thing too, because Sunspot wasted no time in firing off another Fire Blast at her. She managed to use Psychic to deflect most of it, but the heat was still intense. And no sooner did the last of the flames blow past her, then she saw Sunspot closing in.

The Infernape had launched himself off a platform, and was heading straight for her; she Teleported away almost reflexively, but was then almost immediately hit by a Fire Blast from behind. He never seemed to run out of them!

Wendy was blasted into the air, but caught herself with Psychic before she could fall again; Light Screen had absorbed a lot of the damage from the attack, and her watery second skin had protected her a lot as well, but she was s still a little shell-shocked from the explosion.

Wendy had barely recovered from the blast before she was forced to defend against yet another one; blowing it aside with Psychic, and preparing to swat Sunspot out of the air as well if he was using the Fire Blast for cover again. Her guess was correct, but the attack came from behind.

Sunspot had once again leapt straight up into the air, until he was right above Wendy; then, after spinning to gain momentum, he brought his outstretched leg down on Wendy's head. A move called Acrobatics.

The powerful attack knocked Wendy to the ground, and right into a platform; no soft, watery landing this time. After a hit like that, Wendy was at her limit; she struggled to stand up, but the effort proved to be too much for her. She collapsed on the platform and didn't move.

The referee looked at Wendy, then at Jack; the blue-clad trainer didn't seem at all concerned that his Pokémon had been knocked out, in fact he was smiling slightly. The referee started to announce Sunspot the winner of the fight, but Jack held up a hand.

"If you'd wait just a moment, this fight isn't over," he said.

"Your Pokémon is clearly defeated," the referee said. "In her condition, there's no way she could…"

Then he noticed something; a light coming from the battlefield. More specifically, the light was coming from Wendy. Jack grinned; it had been sheer torture for him to watch Wendy get beaten up, even more than it had been for Wendy herself, but they'd both agreed that the end result was worth it. Wendy was evolving.

The light grew stronger by the second, until it was almost blinding; it filled the entire coliseum until people were forced to look away or risk being blinded. When the light finally faded, and the spots cleared from people's eyes, Wendy was standing tall and proud; as a fully evolved Gardevoir.

She cracked her neck, and then her knuckles. "Alright then, Mr. Sunspot," she said, with a voice that sounded more like a much older teenager's, "Let's finish this."

"My pleasure," Sunspot agreed with a grin. "You might actually be a worthy opponent now."

Wendy folded her arms. "I'll take that as a compliment; now, en garde!"

Without another word, Wendy pointed her right arm at Sunspot and streams of silver energy began raining down from the sky and collecting in the palm of her three-fingered hand. The ribbons of energy gathered together and spun themselves into a sphere of crackling silver light.

It was a powerful technique that had only recently been discovered in the Kalos region, and Wendy had only heard about by watching the news; once she'd read up on it, she had tried many times to master it. This was the first time she'd actually succeeded, and she was ecstatic about it; she was using Moonblast.

"Nicely done, Wendy," Jack said, "Now maybe you could actually throw it at him?"

After basking in her own glow for a moment, Wendy figured that Jack was right; it was about time she tested her new move in combat, by beating the ever-living daylights out of Sunspot with it.

"Right," she agreed. "One Fairy-type special, coming right up!"

With that, she launched the Moonblast like a silver bullet at Sunspot; who was starting to feel a little nervous. He fired off a Fire Blast to try and cancel it out, but the bolt of light cut through it like a hot knife through butter and hit him square on the chest, where it then exploded.

The blast flung the Infernape backwards like a ball from a cannon, and he hit the wall of the arena behind Nicholas with a crash; and speaking of Nicholas, he was pretty much in a state of panic at this point. Things were not looking good for Sunspot; the watery battlefield had wreaked enough havoc on their battle strategy already, and now this. They only had one chance now; and it looked like this was it.

Sunspot, seemingly miraculously, peeled himself off the wall and walked back to the battlefield; taking a ready position on a platform. Wendy was about fire off another Moonblast, but then something caught her eye; Sunspot was glowing. The Infernape was surrounded by a fiery red aura, and Jack knew exactly what it meant; he'd seen it often enough. Blaze.

"By now you've probably guessed what Sunspot's ability is," Nicholas said. "While Blaze is active, Sunspot is almost unbeatable."

"I notice you said 'almost'," Jack pointed out, to which Nicholas said nothing.

Wendy, realizing that she should probably be careful if Blaze was really that powerful, decided to play it safe and hit him from a distance with Psychic. But before she could even start to attack, Sunspot launched a roaring, and gigantic, Fire Blast at her; it was so massive it covered the entire width of the arena, and so hot the audience could feel it from the stands.

Wendy took one look at the wall of flames bearing down on her, and knew what she had to do; she poured every drop of energy she had into one move. Psychic. But instead of focussing on Sunspot, she directed the telekinetic energy to the roaring inferno in front of her; and not to dispel it, but to control it.

With sweat streaming from her forehead and instantly evaporating from the heat, Wendy gathered the flames towards her; compressing them into a sphere the size of a small car, but as bright as the sun. Then, she launched it back at Sunspot.

I say launched, but all she had to do was give it a little push and release her Psychic grip on it; the flames naturally expanded in the path of least resistance, which was in the direction Wendy was pushing, which was directly at Sunspot. The blast of flames crashed into him like… actually, I don't even know what analogy to use; suffice it to say, it was pretty impressive to watch.

Wendy sighed in relief. There was no way Sunspot could take a hit like that and walk away from it; this fight was over. She turned and smiled sweetly at Jack, who had been encased in a bulletproof glass box by the emergency systems of the arena when they registered a move that could potentially harm the trainers; across the field, Nicholas would be in an identical box.

Jack didn't know whether to be impressed, or a little scared by what Wendy had just done; as the glass box around him descended back into the floor, he decided on impressed.

"That was amazing Wendy!" he said. "How did… LOOK OUT!"

The last part was shouted to Wendy, as Jack saw another Fire Blast headed for her; she turned just in time to be hit full on by it and flung backwards. She caught herself midair with Psychic and tried to see where the attack had come from, but then she realized what Sunspot was doing; sure enough, she felt the wind from Sunspot coming up behind her, and spinning to deliver one final Acrobatics attack.

But he was too slow; Wendy, knowing he was coming, grabbed him with Psychic and threw him up higher into the air. Then, gathering the same silver energy as before, she fired a powerful Moonblast up after him; then another, then another. After the third attack she was pretty sure he was well and properly unconscious, so she let him fell back down again; catching him with Psychic before he could hit the ground. Sure enough, he was out cold; no pun intended.

The referee confirmed it. "SUNSPOT IS UNABLE TO BATTLE; THE WINNER IS WENDY, AND THE VICTORY GOES TO JACK STORM OF GREENWOOD!"

* * *

Me: Well? Was that a suitably epic finale?

Jack: What else can I call it without both Katana and Wendy coming to get me.

Me: There is that. Anyway, I know we kinda missed our update time again; still, at least this time I have an excuse. The Christmas holidays have been kinda hectic for me; I didn't get as much time as I wanted to work on the story.

Jack: As much as I hate to admit it, this time he's got an alibi. He was pretty swamped.

Me: Thank you. Now it's a little late to wish you all a Merry Christmas, your Christmases were either Merry or otherwise and there's not much I can do at this point to change that. What I can do, is say happy 2016; we did it guys, we survived another year. Three cheers for us.

Jack: *deadpan* Yay.

Me: In any event, I know a lot of you have joined us more recently; and some of you probably weren't around last year when I advertised...

Jack: *cough* Shameless self-plug. *cough*

Me: *continues undaunted* ...my Christmas one-shot; Christmas Storm. And I'm going to give it to you straight, if you haven't read it yet I urge you to; it's a touching excerpt from Jack's early life, namely his first Christmas. It has even received an extremely favourable review from Keldeo the Critic where he calls it, and I quote, "The Little Drummer Boy of Pokémon fanfiction." If that's not high praise, I don't know what is.

Jack: I have to admit, it does make a good story.

Me: I know, right? Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, and I hope you all have a happy new year.

Jack: See you in the next chapter.


	9. The offer

"Well," Jack said to Wendy as Nicholas recalled the unconscious Sunspot, and the crowd above them roared its approval. "That went rather well, I thought."

Wendy chuckled. "I'll say; evolving was a pleasant surprise, for me at least. Although I can't help but feel like you planned it somehow."

Jack shrugged and walked towards the arena exit. "Not so much planned, as hoped. How are you handling it by the way? Do you feel alright?"

Wendy followed him, rolling her eyes. "Yes, Uncle Jack; I'm perfectly fine. A little sore here and there, but nothing some rest and a hot meal won't fix."

Jack grinned. "Well then, I'll see what I can do about that; in the meantime..."

Before Jack could finish that thought, he looked up to see Nicholas walking over to him. The red-haired trainer looked somewhat disappointed, but he still managed a light-hearted grin.

"Good game, Jack," he said, holding out his hand. "You beat us fair and square."

Jack took the proffered hand and shook it, hiding the stab of guilt he felt at his friend's words. "Thanks Nicholas; it was a close thing, you were a tougher opponent than I've fought in a long time."

"Thanks," Nicholas said, then he turned to Wendy. "And Wendy, congrats on evolving; and learning that awesome new move."

Wendy giggled a little and bowed in appreciation, and said, "You can't tell what I'm saying, so it probably sounds like I'm complimenting you back; doesn't it?"

Nicholas gave her an odd look, then turned back to Jack who was completely straight-faced.

"I have a strange feeling," Nicholas said with mock-seriousness, "That she's making fun of me."

"What? No, of course not," Jack deadpanned. "Whatever gave you that idea."

Nicholas let out a small snort of laughter. "Oh sure, I see how it is," he replied good-naturedly.

"Hey Nicholas," Jack said, "Why don't you and your team go get spruced up, and then drop by our room for dinner?"

Nicholas looked up at the sun, which was still high in the afternoon sky.

"It might be a little early for dinner," the red-headed trainer replied.

Jack shrugged. "Okay, so how's about we go out for dinner? Lily of the Valley Town is only a few kilometres south of here, I can get us there in seconds and we can do some sightseeing; then we can find a nice restaurant for dinner, my treat."

Nicholas laughed ruefully. "Wow, you must be really desperate to stay in my good graces."

"What makes you say that?" Jack asked, slightly taken aback.

Nicholas looked him in the eye and smiled. "Whatever you might think, I'm not mad at you for winning; it a was a fair fight, and I lost. I'm not gonna let it get me down, and I'm not gonna stop being your friend. You don't have to be extra nice to me."

Jack sighed. Nicholas had read him like a book.

"Still," Jack replied, "I am sorry. I know that becoming the Sinnoh Champion is your dream, and I pretty much just stomped all over it."

Now it was Nicholas's turn to shrug. "Yeah, you kinda did; and about two months ago I might have held it against you. Lately though, I've been thinking about what I really want to do with my life; I'll spare you the lecture on philosophy and just say that, after much deliberation, I decided that becoming a Pokémon Master, or even the Champion, isn't really all that important in the grand scheme of things. It'd be nice, yeah, but I was pretty much obsessed with it; so much that I wasn't spending nearly as much quality time with my Pokémon as I used to. I got so focused on the destination, that I forgot to enjoy the journey. If it means giving up what I really love, spending time with my Pokémon, my friends, then I don't even want to be Champion."

Nicholas's words made Jack feel strange; as if someone had walked over his grave. If he didn't know any better, he'd think that someone was trying to tell him something. Maybe going sightseeing and having dinner with everyone was a better idea than he'd thought.

"But listen to me, getting all sappy and melodramatic," Nicholas continued, shaking his head with a rueful smile. "I sound like the hero from some cheesy romance novel or something."

Jack folded his arms and stared at the floor. "Actually, you're making a lot of sense; some sense I needed to hear, too. My offer on dinner stands, if you want to come; I think I'll be going with my team either way."

Nicholas smiled. "In that case, I accept; I'll meet you at your room in…. let's say, half an hour; sounds good?"

Jack nodded. "Sure, see you then. Remember, it's my treat."

"That's an offer you may regret," Nicholas said, grinning impishly.

* * *

"Not that I'm jealous or anything," Jason said, "And I suppose it all worked out in the end, but why exactly did you decide to send out Wendy instead of me? I could've taken down Sunspot easily, and you knew it."

Jack sighed; he'd only just made it back to the suite and released everyone from the Pack, before Jason was on his case. Not that he hadn't expected this; calling out Wendy had been a pretty risky move for him to make on a hunch. If he'd been wrong, they probably would've lost the match.

"Trust me," Jack said, "I know how risky it was; but I also knew that Wendy could pull it off, and she did. It's over now, so let's just leave it alone; I promise to let you have the next one."

Jason didn't look too happy about it, but he dropped the subject. "Fine then. About this little excursion though, how exactly are you planning to pay for it? Out of your own pocket?"

"It's not like I don't have the money," Jack said. "I've still got several thousand dollars left; more than enough."

"For now," Jason countered. "But if you keep racking up expenses like you have been recently, that's not going to last long unless you find a source of income."

"And since when are you a master of all things economical?" Jack said, although he realised that his brother had a good point.

"I'm just saying," Jason said dryly.

Jack sighed. "I know, and you're right; but so far I haven't found any reliable ways of making money. We've been moving around too much lately; and travelling doesn't pay. I was going to look for job offers tonight when we go out," he admitted.

"Really?" Jason said, raising an eyebrow.

"You don't have to sound to surprised," Jack said. "It's not like I don't think about these things myself."

Jason initially seemed a little bit surprised, but his expression smoothed out to one of mock-relief.

"Finally," he said jokingly. "I thought I'd have to look after you forever; but it looks like you're finally growing up."

Jack grinned mischievously. "Oh, you're gonna get it for that."

Without any further warning, Jack pounced on his adoptive brother and started tickling him relentlessly. Jason tried to resist, but Jack knew all the right spots and Jason was soon laughing so hard he started crying. When Jack finally stopped his ruthless assault, the Lucario was completely out of breath.

Jack got up and looked around; the others were all looking at them, but it was nothing they hadn't seen before. Scenes like that had once been quite commonplace, although they had become less and less frequent over the last three months; this was the first time Jack and Jason had had a full-on tickle fight in weeks, and most of the team were smiling at the nostalgia.

Jack was about to say something about getting ready to go out, but then he felt his legs get swept out from under him. He twisted as he fell and managed to catch himself with his hands, but then he felt a pair of furry paws slip underneath his robe and begin tickling his sides.

Jason rarely got the better of Jack in their tickle fights, but Jason knew Jack every bit as well as Jack knew him; within seconds, Jack was laughing so hard his sides hurt. The others, with the exception of Thomas, all cheered as Jason completely turned the fight around.

"U-uncle!" Jack struggled to say between peals of laughter, slapping the floor with his hand. "Uncle!"

Jason relented and let Jack catch his breath. The victorious Lucario then stood back up to the cheers of his adoring fans, and did a quick, and ridiculous-looking, victory pose for the fun of it. This set everyone laughing, including Jack and Jason themselves; but the laughter was no longer forced, it was the heartfelt laughter of simply enjoying the company of close friends. And as Jack sat down on the couch to catch his breath, he realized sadly that it was a sound he didn't hear nearly as often as he used to.

Jack would've happily reminisced about the good old days, and resolved to spend more time with his team as a whole, just having fun, but then he realised that Nicholas was going to be there any minute. Then he realised that he needed a shower after rolling around on the floor with a sweaty Lucario.

Jack lost no time in excusing himself to the en-suite washroom and taking a quick shower. Once he was satisfied with the way he smelled, he went to get dressed; only to realize that his robes smelled like damp fur.

With a sigh, he got out another set of clothes; after an… 'incident' a couple months ago, Jack had bought a few extras for emergencies. Not really one to deliberate over such things, he dug around in his bag and pulled out the first things he saw; which happened to be a pair of black cargo pants, the kind with about a dozen pockets on each leg, a tee-shirt of the same deep blue colour as his robes, and the only jacket he owned. The black one with a yellow lightning bolt on the back.

As per usual, he didn't bother with socks or shoes; he couldn't fight with those things on his feet. He also didn't bother trying to comb his unruly honey-coloured hair; he knew by this point that it would be an effort in futility.

Satisfied that he looked halfway decent, except for the hair, Jack bundled up his robes and tossed them into his bag; he'd wash them later.

"On the other hand," he muttered to himself, "Maybe I should wear normal clothes more often; I mean if it's a matter of being ready for a fight, I already make sure my clothes are unrestrictive. It'd also probably help my public image if I didn't go around looking like a Dungeons and Dragonites reject. Plus," he said, turning around in front of the mirror, "I look pretty good in mufti."

He froze mid-turn, and frowned; since when did he think about clothes or, more disconcertingly, how he looked in them? Maybe Maylene's talk of fangirls was starting to get to him...

Jack's train of thought was, fortunately, derailed by a knock on the door of the suite; opening it, Jack saw that Nicholas had arrived.

"Hey Jack," the trainer said. "Looking good; did you do something different with your hair?" he asked jokingly.

"Yeah," Jack replied. "It's called a shower; I heard they're all the rage these days."

Nicholas let out a sharp laugh, then leaned in close to Jack's face with a mock-serious expression. "Don't believe it for a second."

"What's wrong with showers?" Jack asked with a chuckle.

Nicholas spread his arms in a solemn gesture. "It's a sad truth but in this day and age, personal hygiene is a dying art."

"You don't say," Jack deadpanned. "Anyway, come on in; we're all ready to go."

"If we're leaving for Lily of the Valley Town," Nicholas asked, "Shouldn't you be coming outside instead of me coming in? And also, before I forget, what did you mean earlier when you said you could get us there in seconds? It's at least five minutes by car, more like half an hour on foot. Not that I doubt you can, but how do you plan on getting us there in seconds?"

Jack grinned mischievously. "Oh, you'll see. Just come insi…"

Jack was cut off by a voice from down the hallway. "Hey Jack, what's going on?"

Jack and Nicholas's heads turned in unison to look at the source of the voice.

"Maylene?" Jack said. "What are you doing here?"

"Is that any way to treat a friend?" she asked with a grin. "I came to congratulate you on winning your match, and… Hey," she exclaimed, pointing a finger at Nicholas. "You're the guy he fought, aren't you. Nicholas, right? I'm Maylene," she said, holding out her hand. "Although now I think about it, we've met before haven't we."

"Yeah," Nicholas replied, taking the proffered hand and shaking it. "I challenged your gym a few months ago; it was a tough fight."

Maylene nodded. "I remember enjoying it. Anyway, like I asked before, what's going on?"

"Nicholas and I are old friends," Jack interjected. "We were just about to leave for Lily of the Valley Town to do a little sightseeing, and have dinner."

"Oh, okay then," Maylene said with a shrug. "Have fun; I'll just head back to my room."

Jack sighed as Maylene turned back the way she came. It didn't take a genius to figure out that she had planned to hang out with him herself, and that she was disappointed at having been beat to the punch. Jack and Nicholas glanced at each other, and silently came to an agreement.

"Hang on a minute," Jack called to Maylene, and she turned around to look at him. "Do you want to come with us? The more the merrier."

Maylene smiled gratefully at the two of them. "Thanks, I'd love to; are you sure it's no trouble? I wouldn't want to impose..."

Jack shook his head. "Not at all, we'd love to have you along; oh, and just so you know, dinner is my treat."

Maylene grinned. "You might regret that offer."

"That's what I told him!" Nicholas exclaimed, throwing his hands into the air.

Jack smiled ruefully; the evening had just gotten that much more interesting.

* * *

Me: Now, any of you who know me are probably freaking out right about now. If so, let me but any doubts you may have to rest; no, I'm not terminally ill. I've just decided to upload early.

Jack: You're totally dying on us, aren't you. Well, it was nice knowing you; I'll be sure to send flowers.

Me: I'm not dying, Jack; I just realized that I'm never going to get anything done if keep procrastinating like I'm so fond of doing. So for the next… well, until my conscience allows me to stop basically, I'll be working on chapters back-to-back; uploading new chapters as soon as they're finished, and then immediately starting the next one. No set upload dates, no schedule, you'll see new chapters as soon as they're done; and I'll be working extra hard to get them done as quickly as possible.

Jack: What about your schoolwork? You don't exactly have tons of free time right now…

Me: Which is why I won't be posting a chapter a day or anything like that, but I will be uploading much more frequently; I have more than enough free time for that.

Jack: Alright then, but I guarantee you won't be able to keep up this pace for long.

Me: We'll see about that; but even if I can't, at least I'll have made an effort. In other news, some of you have probably noticed a lot of places in the more recent chapters of my story where I… well, where I make references to things that never happened in my story. I'll tell you right now, those references come from two places; and you've heard of them before.

The first is The Ancient Fuse Evolution, by Krominicon; a story in which Jack is currently making a significant cameo, which takes place in the three months of his life which my story skipped. I won't be making a ton of obvious references to what happens, and it's not _strictly_ required for you to read his story in order to understand any things that might happen in mine, but if you enjoy my story then you'll love his.

The second piece of 24-karat fanfiction gold I've been referencing is Dimensional War, by OseanSoldier; a story which, in all honesty, I simply cannot recommend enough. Dimensional War remains to this day one of my all-time favourite Pokemon fanfics; and it only keeps getting better as it goes on. Once again, it's not strictly necessary that you read it, and I feel it safe to say it's not for everyone; some people might not be able to handle the sheer, concentrated _awesome_ contained within it, but I'd say you should probably try your luck anyway. It's worth it, I promise.

Jack: Wow; are you sure you're not dying? That's a lot of selling-out, even for you.

Me: I'm ignoring you. Anyway folks, I hope you enjoyed this chapter; see you in the next one.


	10. Fun and games

Jack: So, oh great and powerful Oz; how's that new schedule working for you?

Me: I got the chapter done in record time, didn't I?

Jack: No; record time was when you actually were posting a chapter every day, for several days in a row.

Me: Chapters were shorter back then; what with inflation and all, everything's getting bigger all the time.

Jack: …

Jack: I don't think that's how it works.

Me: Whatever; anyway folks, enjoy the chapter.

* * *

Jack, Nicholas, and Maylene popped back into existence just outside Lily of the Valley Town. They'd all gathered in the main room of Jack's suite, with Nicholas's team in their Pokéballs and Jack's in the Pack, and Maylene having only brought Lucario's Pokéball without which she never went anywhere. Once there, Jack had told them to grab his hands and hold on tight; and when he had a firm grip on them, Jack teleported them all to the town.

To Jack, the experience was an almost eerily familiar one; as if he'd been hopping instantaneously through space all his life. And the… place through which he travelled when he did so was like nothing he'd ever experienced before, and yet it was comforting and familiar; almost like he belonged there.

Nicholas and Maylene however, weren't quite as comfortable with the experience.

"Wh… what was t-that?!" Nicholas exclaimed; stumbling around, bent over double, and looking like he was going to be sick.

Maylene was only somewhat less dramatically affected; she was a little disorientated and dizzy for a second, but that seemed to pass quickly as she regained her bearings.

"What just happened," she asked once her head stopped spinning.

"We just teleported to the outskirts of Lily of the Valley Town," Jack said. "You both okay?"

"I'm good," Maylene said, looking around.

"Does it always feel so… weird?" Nicholas asked, holding his head; although he already seemed to be recovering.

Jack wasn't too concerned about the motion sickness; he'd seen this happen to people he'd teleported before and he knew it was temporary, and that it got easier the more they did it.

"Kinda," he said in response to Nicholas's question. "It feels weird for most people at first, but it gets easier to deal with; after a while you barely even notice it."

"I don't think I'd ever get used to something like that," Nicholas said. "It felt so… so…"

"Alien," Maylene said, although there was something approaching awe in her voice. "And you can really travel wherever you want, in no time at all?"

"Pretty much," Jack said. "Although I have to know exactly where I want to go, and where it is in relation to where I am; it's easiest if I can see where I want to go, but I can't teleport at all to somewhere I haven't been to or seen before."

Maylene nodded, obviously filing the information away.

"And that place," Nicholas asked, "It doesn't bother you at all?"

Jack scratched the back of his head. "No, not really; it's just… quiet."

"Not how I'd describe it," Nicholas muttered.

Jack shrugged. "Well, okay then; we don't have to teleport any more if you don't want to."

"Really?" Nicholas asked.

Jack grinned impishly. "No."

With that, the world around them blurred once more into the black void with which Jack was familiar; as usual, the darkness glittered with what looked like millions of distant stars in all directions. There was a brief sensation of being completely without sensation, then the real world popped up around them again; this time in the middle of town.

Nicholas and Maylene stumbled forward as their senses told them they'd been moving, but when they caught themselves they barely seemed dizzy at all.

"Dude!" Nicholas exclaimed, turning to Jack. "Not cool, not cool at all. Warn me next time."

"That was kind of rude, I have to admit," Maylene said, crossing her arms.

"Sorry," Jack said. "But I'm guessing it didn't feel as bad that time, right?"

Nicholas hesitated a second before replying, "That's beside the point."

Jack held up his hands in a gesture of surrender. "Okay, okay; I won't do it again, promise."

"Good," Nicholas said, feigning a look of injured dignity. "Come; let us, as they say, 'see the sights.'"

"Yessir," Jack said, saluting. "Right away sir."

Maylene looked at the two of them and sighed ruefully. "Why do I feel like I just signed on for more than I can handle?"

"I have no idea," Jack and Nicholas said in perfect unison.

"Anyway," Jack continued, as if nothing had happened, "Since we're here, why don't we let our Pokémon out?"

"A capital idea, old chap," Nicholas said in his best English accent, which was pretty bad. "Jolly good, wot wot."

"No, don't... don't do that," Jack said seriously. "Just… don't."

* * *

To tell the truth, Lily of the Valley Town really wasn't much to look at; there were next to no tourist attractions. Pretty much its sole purpose, and source of income, was the people who gathered there for the Lily of the Valley Conference every year; there were a lot hotels and shops, but not much in the way of entertainment.

On the other hand, they were on an island; Lily of the Valley Town was stationed about two feet from a long stretch of yellow, beautifully clean, and blissfully warm sand at the edge of the ocean. It was early fall, but it still felt more like late summer and the water was still nice and warm; with the sun only just having begun to set. As such, it didn't take a genius to figure out what would happen.

Nicholas and Maylene had both anticipated an afternoon at the beach, and had worn swimsuits under their clothes; Jack didn't have one, and so was forced to buy a pair of swim trunks from a nearby shop. They were blue; obviously.

With their attire settled, Jack, Nicholas, and Maylene hit the water enthusiastically; followed closely by most of their Pokémon. Thomas and Sunspot abstained for obvious reasons, Katana opted out because her scythes weren't much good in the water, and Strike the Ninjask stayed away from the water because he said it was bad for his wings. Aside from them however, everyone enjoyed splashing around for a while; the water, still warm from the summer heat, was quite relaxing on tired muscles.

Aside from the occasional bout of splashing, the swim was actually fairly sedate. Eventually they borrowed a ball from the lifeguard's shed and played some volleyball, but as they played, Jack realised that he missed the high-pitched giggles of delight to which he'd grown so accustomed. Marsh, Strike, and Wendy used to be the life of any party they had; but now they'd all evolved, and had matured a lot in the process. They were still playful and fun-loving, but they weren't kids any more.

"I know what you mean," Nicholas replied when Jack broached the topic with him. "They grow up so fast. When Marsh and Strike evolved, even though they were still the same Pokémon, I suddenly started missing all the childish antics they used to get up to. It made me feel like an old man, watching his kids grow up before his eyes; it won't be long before they're fawning over pretty girl Pokémon, and I'll just bet Scatterbolt's going to take it upon himself to keep them in line when that happens."

Jack nodded. "I'll just bet."

"On the other hand," Nicholas continued, "Strike doesn't strike me... no pun intended, as the kind of guy to go in for that kind of… Heads up!"

Nicholas launched himself almost clean out of the water, and smacked the incoming volleyball out of the air; sending it back over the net into enemy territory. Jack shook his head to clear it, and resolved to think about this later; namely, after they'd won the game. But Nicholas's words once again struck a chord with him; he wondered, against his will, exactly how much Wendy had changed when she evolved. He supposed only time would tell, and shifted his concentration back to the game.

The match had originally started as a humans vs. Pokémon grudge-match, with Jack and Jason leading their respective teams; but the others quickly joined in on the fun. On Jack's team were Nicholas, Maylene, Cap, Strike, Wendy, Lucy, Katana and Aura. On Jason's were Sunspot, Maylene's Lucario, Hunter, Ivy, Solomon, Marsh, Scatterbolt, and Frostbite. So far, the teams had proved to be almost perfectly evenly matched.

Since the game of volleyball required a maximum of five people per side at once in a W pattern, both sides rotated regularly. The current lineup for Jack's team, from left to right, were Cap and Wendy in front, Jack in the center, and Nicholas and Maylene in the rear. Jason's team had Marsh and Sunspot in front, Maylene's Lucario in center, and Hunter and Jason in the rear. Thomas was serving as the referee; a position he seemed to enjoy greatly.

"20/19 to Jack's team," he said as the ball landed on Jason's side. "Game point, Jack's team serving."

Maylene picked up the ball and got into position; she'd displayed an impressive amount of talent at putting the ball right where she wanted it when she served. If they scored this point it was game, and it was her responsibility to set the ball rolling; so to speak.

With a confident grin, Maylene chucked the ball into the air and hit it on the way down; an overhand serve, and a good one at that. The ball missed the top of the net by a hair, and whizzed by Lucario's ear; it looked like a clean point, but then Lucario's left hindpaw came up and around in a roundhouse kick which sent the ball sailing into the sky. Pokémon moves weren't allowed, but martial arts moves were.

Jack looked up, his eyes following the ball, and estimated where it was going to land; if he was right it would be on their side, right behind Nicholas.

"Mine," Jack called, jumping backwards to where the ball would land; Nicholas stepped forward out of the way, knowing that Jack had things well in hand.

When the ball came back down, exactly where Jack thought it would, Jack hit it with just enough force to send it back over the net and right between Hunter and Jason. Jason stepped to his left a little and palm-slammed the ball back over towards the middle, where Jack used to be; fortunately, Nicholas saw it coming and hit it back over. This went on for another several minutes yet without anyone scoring; what with almost everyone on the court possessing superhuman reflexes, every volley was a struggle of titanic proportions and points didn't come easily.

Eventually though, someone always messed up; this time it was Wendy, who hit the ball a little too hard and sent it flying out of the court.

"Sorry about that," Wendy said sheepishly, rubbing the back of her head.

"Point to Jason's team," Thomas said. "The score ties at 20, the next point wins the game. Jason's team serving."

As per the rules, Jason's team had rotated when it became their serve; Jason, who had served last, was rotated off at the right with Ivy rotating in on the left. This made their formation Hunter and Lucario in front, Marsh in center, and Ivy and Sunspot in rear with Sunspot serving.

Jack could help but notice that the left side of the enemy field was weak; one well placed shot right between Hunter, Marsh, and Ivy might well win it for them. The only problem was getting it there; maybe Maylene could do it.

"Hey Maylene," he said. "Do you see it?"

"Yeah," she replied. "Just get the ball to me and I'll take it from there."

The rest of their team nodded, except for Nicholas who looked around in confusion.

"Am I the only one who has no idea what's going on?" he asked.

Jack shrugged. "Pretty much, yeah; just get the ball to Maylene."

Nicholas nodded, and Jack's attention returned to their opponents; Lucario was whispering something to Ivy. He'd probably seen the weak spot too, and was warning Ivy to move forward if Maylene got the ball. Jack looked back over to Maylene and a look passed between them.

"Trust me," Maylene's expression said. "I've got a new plan."

Jack nodded and got ready for the last round; Sunspot served overhand as well, sending the ball straight towards Wendy. A smart move; not only was she most likely Jack's team's weakest link, but Maylene was almost directly behind her making it almost impossible to pass it directly back to her.

Wendy, to her credit, responded well; jumping into the air and spiking the ball back down over the net. Jack wasn't sure if the rules allowed spiking a serve, but no one really seemed to care. Unfortunately, Hunter was there waiting for that; the Staraptor used her wings to bump the ball back to Ivy, who jumped and used her tail to send the ball back over the net towards Jack.

The ball came towards Jack at head-height, making it awkward to hit it with his hands; so he used his head instead, sending the ball up into the air. The ball fell almost right on top of Lucario, who spiked it back down over the net; Cap intercepted it with his head and sent it back to Nicholas, who sent it over to Maylene. The only problem was, he hit it too high.

Maylene tried to hit the ball as it flew over her head, but she couldn't move fast enough; the ball would have landed outside the court, but then Maylene's outline seemed to blur. To Jack, who was watching her every movement closely, it seemed as though time itself stopped around her while she kept going; reacting faster than any human ever could have, Maylene jumped after the ball and smacked as hard as she could.

Like a bullet fired from a gun, the ball shot over Hunter's head; Ivy had already moved forward to intercept it, knowing that Maylene would aim for the space between them, but to her surprise the ball sailed over her head as well. Maylene had aimed for the spot Ivy had just vacated, and it had worked perfectly; the ball hit the sand with a thud, and made a small crater.

"Jack's team wins, 21/20!" Thomas said.

Maylene, who had landed in her feet, shot an accusatory look at Nicholas.

"What was that?" she asked in mock-indignation, putting her hands on her hips. "You were supposed to pass it _to_ me, not over me," she said with a grin.

Nicholas shrugged apologetically. "Sorry, it took me by surprise; still, looks like you had it well in hand."

Maylene was about to make a snappy retort, but before she could she was swamped by her teammates; all of whom were eager to congratulate her. Jack just looked at the gym leader with apprehension; from what he just saw, Maylene's abilities might have been a little more advanced than he originally thought. He'd really have to discuss it with her some time. Still, he thought to himself, no reason to let brooding pessimism ruin the moment.

"Let this be a lesson to you," Jack said jokingly, walking over to Jason and holding out his hand. "You might be better than me at using the aura, but you will never beat me at volleyball."

Jason chuckled and shook the hand Jack had extended.

"I think I can live with that," Jason replied. "After all, we wouldn't want to developing an inferiority complex from being around me too much."

Jack recoiled slightly, clutching his chest as if he'd been struck.

"Since when did you get so quick with the snappy comebacks?" Jack asked, more than a little surprised.

Jason shrugged. "It's a gift, and a curse."

"Oh, I see how it is," Jack said with a grin, backing away slightly. "I seem to have some competition in the humour department; I guess I'll have to watch out for you."

"Go ahead, if it makes you feel better," Jason shot back with a smirk. "But you still won't see me coming."

"Good grief," Jack exclaimed. "Did you stay up late last night thinking up one-liners or something? Anyway," he said, lowering his voice. "I assume you kept an eye on Nicholas like I asked; did you notice anything... strange about him?"

Jason lowered his voice as well. "Yes, were were right about him; there were several times when he moved a little faster than I thought he should've been able to. Do you really think..."

Jack nodded gratefully. "Yes, yes I do; judging by what you said, and what I've seen for myself, I think I might have to bring this matter up with them after dinner."

* * *

Me: And thus ends another chapter. This one was a lot of fun to write, especially the volleyball game; although I had to re-write the part leading up to it a few times before I was happy with it.

Jack: Personally, I'm just surprised that neither Nicholas or Maylene noticed when I called my entire team out of their Pokéballs, including the ones who weren't supposed to be in Pokéballs.

Me: *shrugs* Hey, Plot Convenience is a powerful thing; it's right there in the summary of the story. That, and by the time I realized that we'd messed up, it was too late to fix it without calling even more attention to it.

Jack: Anyway, moving on. Didn't you have some shameless self-plugging to do?

Me: Oh yeah, that's right; as some of you might not have noticed I uploaded a story entitled 'Concept test' the other day. It's based on an idea that's been rattling around in my head for a while now, but I never decided whether or not to actually write it. So, when I got hit with a bad case of Writer's Block in the middle of this chapter, I took a couple of hours and wrote up a small sample of it. It's a Sci-Fi story, which is already uncharted territory for me, and it's based in the universe of a free game called Naev: Sea of Darkness; a space-age interplanetary exploration/combat/trading game. It's a lot of fun, and it's still under development; but I went to great pains to make sure you didn't need to play the game to understand my story. Anything that isn't explained in the trailer, would be later on in the story if I decide to continue writing it; but there's the crux of the matter. If.

The thing is, like I said, I'm not sure whether I should start writing yet another side-story; especially now that I've decided to _finally_ get some real work done on my main one. So here's how you guys can help me out; read the story, leave a review, and take part in the poll I've (finally) set up on my profile. Tell me if it's something you would like to see me start writing; and if so, when. I need you guys to tell me what you think; your input means a lot to me, and it helps me become a better author.

Jack: Okay, you've said all this more times than I can count; I think you can afford to cut it short just this once. Anyway folks, we hope you enjoyed the chapter; see you next time.


	11. Dinner and a show

Me: Don't. Say. Anything.

Jack: Anything.

Me: I hate you so much right now…

Jack: You have to admit though, I was right; that madcap pace was too much for you. You fell behind.

Me: I know, I know. Believe me, I'm already beating myself up about it; you don't have to rub it in.

Jack: I'm just trying to tell you that you need some sort of regular schedule; otherwise it's just anarchy.

Me: No, I can do this; I have to do this. If I need a regular schedule, then I'll write a certain number of words per day; whether I feel like it or not. How does 2,000 sound?

Jack: If it actually works, I'll be the first one to congratulate you; but if it doesn't…

Me: I know. Anyway, let's move on; enjoy the chapter, folks.

* * *

If there was one thing at which Lily of the Valley Town excelled, it was serving the influx of visitors who came there for the Conference. Lily of the Valley Town had more restaurants, diners, pubs, and Pizza places than Jack had ever seen before in his life; and all on the same street. It was a long street.

Even so, they had to look around for quite some time before they found a restaurant that was willing, or even able, to seat all nineteen of them together; and even when they did find one, they were forced to eat outside on the patio. Strictly speaking, their Pokémon were forced to eat outside; but to the three trainers, it amounted to the same thing.

On the other hand, eating outside wasn't exactly a hardship; the evening air was crisp, clear, and refreshing. It was still plenty warm out as well, which actually made eating outside a more appealing prospect than sitting in a stuffy, crowded restaurant. It was so nice out in fact, that they hadn't even bothered changing out of their swimsuits.

Jack, Nicholas, and Maylene were all at the same table, and their respective Pokémon were lounging around the patio in their own little cliques; the girls were all sitting together and chatting amongst themselves, which came as no surprise to anyone else, but aside from that everyone pretty much split up into groups of two or three.

"Alright then, Jack," Maylene said, after the three of them had placed their orders, "Do you want to tell me what's going on with you?"

Jack's expression must have been pretty good, because Maylene cracked a smile and Nicholas busted out laughing.

"Oh come on," she insisted. "You've known me long enough to know I don't miss much; you've been looking at me weird all evening, ever since the beech."

"She's got you pinned, man," Nicholas commented with an impish grin. "I suggest a tactical retreat."

Maylene gave him a sidelong glance. "You know, he's been looking at you the same way."

"What?!" Nicholas exclaimed in mock-astonishment. "You've got a crush on me too?"

Jack sighed and facepalmed. "Look, Nick, could you please stop joking around for five seconds…"

Nicholas nodded. "Sure. One… two... "

"I'm serious!" Jack exclaimed, forcing himself not to shout. "This is important, and I'd appreciate it if you'd just listen to what I have to say."

Maylene had known something was up, but now even Nicholas was a little worried; Jack sounded almost… angry for some reason.

"We're listening," Maylene said calmly. "What is it?"

Jack sighed and folded his hands in front of him. "It all started back when I challenged the Oreburgh Gym; Jason learned a new move, Counter."

"What's wrong with that?" Nicholas asked.

Jack gave him a look that said, 'shut up and I'll tell you'.

Nicholas winced. "Sorry, shutting up."

Jack sighed. "As I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted, Jason learned Counter during the battle; trouble was, he already had a full moveset and Counter was his fifth. But he didn't forget any of his other moves."

Maylene nodded. "I noticed that he knew more than four moves when you were staying at the gym. It's rare, but not completely unheard of."

"Among Legendary Pokémon maybe," Nicholas countered. "But that's pretty much it."

Jack nodded. "Precisely; and all the research I did on the subject turned up the same thing, the only Pokémon ever known to be able to use more than four moves at a time were powerful Legendaries. But that was only the tip of the iceberg; soon, more of my team started learning extra moves, even ones that they shouldn't have been able to learn normally. You remember that old joke about Scyther not being able to learn Fly? Because Katana has been able to use Fly for a while now."

"Okay," Nicholas said. "That's weird and all, but what's that got to do with us?"

"I know what you're getting at," Maylene said.

Nicholas groaned. "Why am I always the last one to know these things…"

Maylene turned to the red headed trainer. "I saw your battles, and your Pokémon are almost unbelievably powerful; as we found out today, they're almost as powerful as Jack's, as are mine. And if Jack's Pokémon are abnormally powerful, to the point of knowing more than four moves, then what does that mean?"

Nicholas's eyes widened. "You can't be serious..."

"I am," Jack replied. "Both of your teams have been affected by the same thing that's made mine so strong; just not quite as strongly. And what is my team in close proximity to twenty-four/seven, but that yours only come into contact with occasionally? Something that is already abnormal in its own right."

Nicholas stared blankly at him for a second, then he got it.

"You," Maylene said. "You think that you're causing all this somehow."

Jack shook his head. "No, I know I'm causing all this somehow; if you need another example, who of my team has been with me the longest? Jason; we grew up together. And next to him are Cap and Katana, who are the first Pokémon I met on my journey. And who do you think is the strongest Pokémon on my team, by leaps and bounds? Jason; and for sheer raw power, even though they don't often show it, Cap and Katana are second only to Jason."

"So you think that Pokémon can become more powerful, even to the point of ignoring normal limitations, just by being near you for extended periods of time," Maylene summed up.

Jack nodded. "It's the best theory I have; although I have absolutely no idea why it happens, or how. But what's even more troubling, is that I don't think it's just Pokémon who are affected."

Maylene's eyes narrowed, as a suspicion started forming in her mind. "What are you saying?"

Jack sighed; here was the hard part. "The volleyball game was, at least in part, a test; I wanted to see if I was right, as much as I hoped I wasn't. I first became… concerned, when we had our little sparring match the other day, Maylene; I'm not going to sugar-coat it, what you did was impossible."

Maylene started to object, but Jack held up his hand. "I know, I know; you 'trained your butt off'. But no amount of training could've let you move that fast, or hit that hard; your abilities have, quite simply, passed beyond normal human limitations. Just like mine have."

Maylene scowled in frustration. "So, you're trying to tell me that I'm a…" she stopped suddenly, realising what she'd almost said.

"A freak like me?" Jack finished for her, his expression unreadable.

"I… I wasn't going to say that," Maylene said, hating herself for even starting that sentence.

"No, it's fine," Jack said. "It's a lot to take in, I'm sure anyone would have a hard time accepting it."

"So…" Nicholas said, his expression grim. "Am I like that too?"

Jack nodded solemnly. "I'm afraid so, although you're not quite as far along as Maylene."

Nicholas nodded with an air of resignation. "Alright, I understand. But I just have one question; and I'd like you to give me a straight answer."

"Ask away," Jack replied.

The red-headed trainer looked him in the eye. "How long do I have to wait before I can catch lightning bolts too?"

Jack and Maylene stared at him blankly.

"Oh come on, guys," Nicholas exclaimed, an excited grin spreading across his face. "You're making it sound like we've all been diagnosed with a terminal disease or something, but what's really happened? We're living every kid's childhood dream; we have bona fide, honest-to-goodness superpowers! Personally, I think this is pretty awesome."

Jack couldn't help but smile a little at Nicholas's almost boyish enthusiasm, and he let out a small chuckle.

"Leave it to you to look on the bright side, Nick," Jack said.

Maylene's look of shock switched from Nicholas to Jack, and back again. "Are you kidding me? Superpowers might be every kid's dream, but it's also just a lot of pseudoscience; in real life, things don't work like they do in comic books. There are no aliens, or sentient robots, and people exposed to dangerous levels of radiation don't survive; much less turn into giant green rage-monsters. It's all just made up for fun."

Nicholas shrugged. "It's worked out pretty well for Jack so far, and his Pokémon. Speaking of which..."

"You said something about sentient robots?" Thomas said, hovering beside Maylene's head.

Maylene nearly jumped out of her skin, which elicited hastily-smothered snorts of laughter from both Jack and Nicholas. Maylene glared at them, but realised that they had a point; Jack had grown up with these powers, and Jason had grown up being steeped in them. And aside from a few Legendary Birds, and fangirls, there didn't seem to be any unpleasant side-effects so far.

"Alright, fine," the Gym leader said, crossing her arms. "I guess there's no point in being all 'doom and gloom' about it, since there's nothing we can do about it anyway. And… well," she she shrugged, and one corner of her mouth curled upwards in a rueful grin, "I guess it is kind of cool."

"Ha," Nicholas exclaimed triumphantly, clapping his hands together. "Finally; for a second there I thought you'd never look on the bright side. I was thinking to myself, 'am I really the only one who sees how awesome this is?'"

"You were," Jack said. "And thanks, by the way; I for one really needed a good laugh right about then."

"But you never did answer my question," the trainer said. "When do I get to catch bolts of lightning and eat them?"

Jack chuckled. "Not for quite a while, I can tell you that; it's a fairly recent trick even for me, and I haven't nearly mastered it to its full potential yet."

"You mean that what you did when you were sparring with her," Nicholas said, gesturing to Maylene, "Was just the tip of the iceberg?"

Jack shrugged. "Yeah, pretty much."

"Dude," Nicholas said with a grin, leaning away from Jack in mock-fear, "I am legitimately scared of you right now."

Jack shrugged again; he wasn't about to tell them, but he was more than a little relieved that Nicholas and Maylene took it as well as they did. He had been afraid that they'd… actually, he wasn't sure what he had been afraid of necessarily; the uncertainty of it all, he supposed. Still, the discussion had gone well; and it looked like their food was ready.

The waitress walked over to their table carrying two plates of food; Jack's chicken-fingers and fries with a Caesar salad on the side, and Maylene's double-decker cheeseburger with the works.

Nicholas's jaw dropped when he saw Maylene's burger, which looked about two inches too tall.

Maylene grinned at Nicholas's shocked expression. "At the dojo all I usually eat is 'healthy' food," she explained. "So when I eat out, I make it a point to enjoy myself."

"The dojo food wasn't that bad," Jack said.

"You had it easy since you were a newbie," Maylene replied. "Us veterans are practically expected to survive on dew and the energy of the universe; or something like that. Still, I have to admit; the diet is pretty effective."

Jack could think of a few dozen snappy retorts to that, but he managed to restrain himself from using any of them. Nicholas wasn't quite so self-controlled; the red-headed trainer started to say something, but Jack telekinetically, and none too gently, flicked the back of his head before he could.

Nicholas turned to look behind him and, seeing no one there, he turned to Jack with an expression that clearly said, 'dude!' The only response he got from Jack was a look that would've frozen water.

"Okay, fine," Nicholas said, holding up his hands in surrender.

"What?" Maylene asked, somewhat confused.

"Nothing," Jack and Nicholas said in perfect unison.

"That doesn't exactly fill me with confidence…" the gym leader commented.

"Yeah, well… Aw yeah, my food's here!" Nicholas exclaimed excitedly.

The waitress placed a plate in front of the starving trainer, and disappeared back into the restaurant again. Nicholas's meal was the same as Jack's; chicken fingers and fries, but with a few large pieces of cheesy garlic bread instead of a salad. Nicholas immediately dug into the chicken, and the three of them agreed to split the garlic bread between them.

In all, it was a satisfactory meal; and as the three trainers looked around, they saw that their Pokémon were almost finished their own meals which mostly consisted of 'fancy' Pokémon food. And by fancy I mean slightly better tasting than the leading brand, and about twice as expensive.

"So," Maylene asked once they'd finished their food. "What now?"

Jack shrugged, still busy reading the bill. "I don't know; it's still light out so I guess we could hang out at the beach a while longer, or we could head back to the hotel… That's a lot of numbers."

Nicholas shrugged. "Well, I don't have any ideas; although I guess I wouldn't mind spending some more time at the beach."

"Me neither," Maylene agreed.

"Okay then," Jack said, getting up from his chair. "I'll go and pay the bill, and then we'll head back to the beach for a while. Be right back."

Jack headed into the restaurant, summoning a wad of bills from his bag back at the hotel. As he walked into the building, he noticed a large television screen hanging on the wall opposite him; the screen was currently displaying footage from the Lily of the Valley Conference. More specifically, it was showing the results of the third round matches; aside from his own, the only faces Jack recognised were Ash, Paul, and Tobias.

Jack went up to the front desk and payed his bill, making sure to get change back. As he turned to leave he took one last look at the screen; which was now showing the match-ups for the fourth round. He was a little disappointed to see that he hadn't been matched up against anyone he knew, but that feeling went away when he saw who Ash was fighting; for the fourth round, in which only the top eight trainers competed, Ash would be fighting Paul in a full six-on-six battle.


	12. A battle for the ages: P1

"The first quarter-final battle of the Sinnoh League Tournament at Lily of the Valley Island is about to be waged on a dirt battlefield; and now in a six-on-six full battle format!" the announcer said over the loudspeaker. "Representing Kanto is Ash from Pallet Town, facing off against Paul from Veilstone City. The tension is formidable indeed. And their first Pokémon are…"

Ash smiled. "Alright; ready Pikachu?"

The yellow mouse Pokémon expressed his readiness, and stepped onto the battlefield; sparks arcing from his cheeks in anticipation of battle.

"Aggron," Paul said calmly, tossing a Pokéball onto the battlefield, "Stand by for battle."

From the Pokéball emerged a giant grey and silver Pokémon; an Aggron Jack could only assume, having never seen one before himself. Checking his Pokédex quickly revealed Aggron to be the evolved form of the Lairon he saw when he first met Paul.

The two Pokémon stared each other down, just as their trainers were doing; Ash seemed confident, and possibly even more enthusiastic than usual. Which was odd considering, as Jack had heard from Brock and Dawn, that Ash and Paul were bitter rivals; and that Ash had never once beaten the purple-haired trainer.

"This is going to be a battle for the ages," Jack muttered.

"But which one of them will win..." Jason, who was sitting right beside him, said.

"I don't know," Jack mused, "But I'll likely have to fight whoever wins here; either in the finals or the semi-finals."

"Who would you rather fight," Jason asked. "Ash or Paul?"

Jack shrugged. "Whoever loses, obviously."

Jason snorted. "True; but unfortunately that's not how tournaments work."

"I know," Jack said. "But either way, I doubt that either of them could beat us; it's that Tobias guy I'm worried about."

"Did you end up finding out anything useful about him?" Jason asked.

Jack shook his head. "No; no background, no history, nothing. Not even what other Pokémon he has besides that Darkrai. It's almost like he doesn't exist; if Maylene didn't remember him beating her gym, I'd almost think he popped into existence just to compete in this tournament. Any way you slice it, there's something strange about him; so many things that just don't line up…"

"Shush," Jason interrupted him. "The battle's starting."

The battle was indeed starting; as soon as the referee started the round, Aggron lunged at Pikachu with Metal Claw. Pikachu didn't so much as hesitate, and instead countered it with Iron Tail; the two attacks collided in a stalemate for a few second, creating a cascade of sparks which illuminated the battlefield, before the two Pokémon broke away from each other again.

Before Pikachu had time to launch a follow-up attack, Aggron used Metal Sound; a high-pitched sound filled the arena, like the screeching of metal against metal. The noise was Hell for anyone with superhuman hearing, which included most Pokémon; and Jack, who gritted his teeth against the pain. No wonder it was such an effective technique; no one could fight with that ringing in their ears. Beside him on the bench, the rest of his team were all in similar discomfort, and they were up in the stands; he could barely imagine what it must have been like at ground zero.

Pikachu was obviously in pain, the waves of intense sound washing over him; but he wasn't about to give up. The mouse Pokémon poured every drop of that pain into one attack; a raging Thunderbolt which hit Aggron dead on and inflicted massive damage, and also interrupted the Metal Sound.

Finally free of the oppressive noise, Pikachu followed up his advantage with his signature move; Volt Tackle. However, Aggron quickly recovered and fired off a Flash Cannon which stopped Pikachu in his tracks and sent him flying backwards; he rolled along the ground for several meters before regaining his footing. The attack had inflicted a lot of damage, and Ash knew it.

"Alright Pikachu," he said, "Time out."

Pikachu nodded in acknowledgment and ran back to Ash's side as the trainer pulled a Pokéball off his belt.

"All right," he shouted, tossing the Pokéball onto the field. "Infernape, you're up next!"

The Flame Pokémon appeared in the customary flash of light, and growled excitedly. He reminded Jack a lot of Sunspot; they both had a playful glimmer in their eyes, as well as a whole lot of fighting spirit.

"Alright Infernape," Ash said. "Let's show Paul just how powerful you've become!"

Aggron, at a command from Paul, rushed full-tilt at Infernape with Double-Edge; a powerful attack which inflicted recoil damage on the user, a dangerous wager. Infernape, as if in defiance of Paul, countered with Flare Blitz; another recoil-inflicting attack, albeit one which looked a whole lot more awesome. Infernape's entire body was engulfed in blue flames, and he launched himself at Aggron in a head-on tackle.

The two attacks clashed, and resulted in yet another stalemate; both Pokémon separating after a few seconds and withdrawing to their respective sides of the field. But while Infernape soon felt the backlash from his attack, Aggron seemed unaffected.

"It's ability must be Rock Head," Jason said.

Jack nodded. "Makes sense; one thing I will say for Paul, he's not reckless. He always thinks his moves through two steps ahead; he's pretty much Ash's polar opposite in terms of battle style…"

Jack's train of thought was derailed, as Aggron was suddenly engulfed in a roaring inferno; a side-effect of Infernape's Flare Blitz, no doubt. Taking advantage of the opening, Infernape shot towards Aggron with Mach Punch; Aggron tried to counter it with Flash Cannon, but Infernape closed the distance before it could even fire. The attack landed hard on the side of Aggron's head, and the Iron Armour Pokémon was sent flying into the side of the arena.

"And that would be why the stands are up so high above the arena," Jack commented wryly; he couldn't help but cheer for Ash, the alternative was too distasteful.

When the dust cleared, Aggron was out for the count; Paul recalled the defeated Pokémon with an unreadable expression.

"Great job, Infernape," Ash exclaimed. "You did it!"

"It's still early," Jack head Brock say from the row in front of them. "Much too early to predict how this will all turn out."

Down in the arena, Paul pulled out another Pokéball. "Gastrodon, stand by for battle!"

Gastrodon, a slug-like Pokémon with a blue underbelly and a squishy green shell on its back, a Pokémon which Jack had also never seen in person before, appeared in the customary flash of light and immediately prepared to fight.

Ash nodded. "Gastrodon… all right then Infernape, return."

With that, Ash recalled Infernape to his Pokéball.

"A wise move," Jason noted. "Infernape would've been at a serious disadvantage, and Paul isn't the kind to pass up any advantage he can take."

Ash pulled out another Pokéball. "Staraptor, I choose you!"

Ash's choice of Pokémon seemed to trigger a response of some sort from Paul, who nodded knowingly.

"First Pikachu," the purple-haired trainer said, "Then Infernape, and then Staraptor. I get it now."

Jack didn't have time to wonder what he meant by that cryptic comment, because Paul wasted no more time in calling out an order.

"Muddy Water!"

A puddle of brown, dirty-looking water started forming under Gastrodon, but Staraptor didn't wait for it to finish; the Predator Pokémon performed what amounted to a hit-and-run attack with Quick Attack, landing a solid hit and then retreating to a supposedly safe distance. The Sea Slug Pokémon was flung backwards a ways, but it recovered and quickly started waving its head around in a circle.

Jack's confusion at the odd technique turned into shocked realisation as Gastrodon's Muddy Water rose into their air; spinning like a watery tornado around the blue slug. Staraptor tried to backpedal away from the whirling wall of water, but wasn't quite fast enough to escape it completely; fortunately it was only a scathing blow.

"Counter-Shield..." Jack muttered grimly. "Oh, he's good."

"I remember that technique," Jason said. "Solomon used it against Strike in your battle with Nicholas."

Jack nodded. "Yeah; we learned it from Ash. Apparently, Paul did too."

Ash seemed more than a little surprised at Paul throwing his own technique back at him, but he quickly got past the shock and came up with a plan.

At Ash's command, Staraptor dove low to the ground and rushed at Gastrodon with Aerial Ace; obviously trying to aim below Gastrodon's Counter-Shield. It might have worked too, but Gastrodon was expecting it; just before Staraptor could land the attack, Gastrodon jumped straight up into the air and Staraptor flew right underneath it.

As soon as it was directly above its opponent, Gastrodon… well, there's only one way to describe it; using Body Slam, Gastrodon flopped down and landed on top of Staraptor, pinning the bird Pokémon to the ground with its soft, squishy body. Staraptor was completely immobile; not so much from Gastrodon's weight, as by the fact that it couldn't get its legs underneath itself to stand up, or flap its wings hard enough to take off.

With Staraptor trapped beneath it, Gastrodon charged up a Water Pulse and fired it straight up into the air; the attack flew upwards several hundred feet, then started descending. Even from the stands, Jack could see the Sea Slug Pokémon tensing; getting ready to move.

"It's going to jump off at the last second," Jack muttered, "So the Water Pulse will land right on Staraptor."

Staraptor tried desperately to dislodge Gastrodon from its back, but to no avail; no matter how hard Staraptor struggled, Gastrodon didn't move. Not yet anyway. Then, Ash got one of those ideas that's so dumb, it just might work.

"I've got it," he exclaimed with a grin. "All right, Staraptor; use Close Combat on the ground!"

Staraptor didn't bother questioning the order, it just followed it; using its wings, which were the only things not pinned down, Staraptor hit the ground as hard as it could. It worked; Staraptor lifted itself off the ground just enough to get its legs underneath it, and then it was relatively easy to buck Gastrodon off its back. Staraptor took to the air just as the Water Pulse struck the ground behind it and exploded, throwing up a cloud of dust out of which Staraptor flew a second later; Gastrodon, unable to escape the blast radius in time, was thrown backwards by the shockwave.

Gastrodon wasn't done however; even as it was being flung backwards through the air, it unleashed an Ice Beam attack on the retreating Staraptor, scoring a direct hit. The attack didn't freeze Staraptor solid, but it did do a lot of damage; enough to knock Staraptor out of the air, and send it plummeting to the ground. Staraptor managed to get back up, but Ash knew it wouldn't be able to take another hit.

"Staraptor, return," Ash called out, recalling Staraptor to its Pokéball.

"At this point," Jason commented, "Paul has lost one of his Pokémon, but three of Ash's have taken a lot of damage and won't last much longer if they get called out again; the odds are in Paul's favour."

"Then again," Jack said, "He's made bigger comebacks before; I've pretty much grown to expect it of him."

"Buizel, I choose you!" Ash said, tossing another Pokéball onto the battlefield.

Jack grinned. "And there it is; I remember that Buizel from when Ash challenged Maylene way back in the day. That Buizel almost single-handedly fought Lucario to a standstill."

If Jason had eyebrows, he would've raised them. "No kidding? In that case, this ought to be interesting."

"So Number four is Buizel," Paul said, clearly not surprised. "I see what's going on; you're trying to turn the frustration your Pokémon felt when I beat you then, into your advantage now. That's why you're using the same Pokémon as last time."

Jack frowned; he felt like he was missing something here.

"Hey, Brock," Jack said, leaning over to where Brock and Dawn were sitting, "What's Paul talking about?"

"Ash and Paul have fought many times," Brock explained, "But the most recent was at Lake Acuity; they had a full six-on-six battle, and Paul won it and Ash only managed to knock out two of his Pokémon. It was a crushing defeat, and Ash took it hard; now he's trying to even the score, and he's hoping that by using the same Pokémon he used then…"

"He can turn their frustration at losing," Jack continued, "Into an advantage this time around. I get it now; thanks."

"No problem," Brock said.

"He's such a helpful guy," Jack commented, sitting back down.

"You don't say," Jason retorted. "While you were getting your explanation, Ash gave his mandatory heroic speech."

"Aw," Jack sighed, "I missed it…"

"Quiet," Jason told him, "I think they're done talking"

"Ice Beam," Paul commanded.

"We'll take that Ice Beam, and use Aqua Jet!" Ash exclaimed.

Gastrodon fired off a blue beam of 'coldness' at Buizel, who flew like a watery bullet straight at it; the beam hit Buizel's Aqua Jet dead on and froze it solid, but Buizel's trajectory didn't change. Buizel, now encased in a large chunk of ice, plummeted towards Gastrodon who only just managed to avoid getting hit. The 'Ice Aqua Jet' crashed into the ground right in front of Gastrodon and shattered, forming a sizeable crater in the ground.

Gastrodon, hoping to take Buizel by surprise with a rapid counter-attack, used Body Slam; Buizel didn't even flinch, and slammed an Ice Punch into Gastrodon's soft underbelly. The attack left Gastrodon half-frozen, and unconscious.

There was a roar of approval from the audience as Paul recalled his second Pokémon; although the purple-haired trainer didn't seem fazed in the slightest by the fact that he'd just lost two Pokémon, and Ash hadn't lost any. Ash looked at his rival and grinned.

"The real battle starts now, doesn't it," Ash said, but Paul's only response was to pull another Pokéball off his belt.

"Drapion, stand by for battle!"

Jack scowled; that was a Pokémon he recognised. He'd fought one once before, when the Predator had attacked them; he knew firsthand that Drapion wasn't an opponent to underestimate, and he still had the scar to prove it. This Drapion looked, if possible, even stronger than the one the Predator had used; and its tail seemed larger than average.

No sooner had the round started, than Drapion fired off a volley of pin missiles at Buizel. The Sea Otter Pokémon didn't hesitate, and started spinning in place; using Water Gun and spinning it around himself as a Counter-Shield to deflect the Pin Missiles.

No sooner had Drapion finished firing off its first attack, than it launched a second; this time in the form of Cross Poison. Buizel just barely managed to dodge the oncoming Poison-type move, and then he ran around behind Drapion and whipped its tail rapidly through the air in a Sonic Boom attack which headed straight for Drapion's back; hoping to hit its blind spot.

It looked like an easy hit, but at the last second Drapion's enormous tail came up and deflected the shock wave; then the tail swept around and snatched up Buizel in an ironclad grip.

As if solely for dramatic effect, Drapion's upper body spun around menacingly to face the captive Buizel. Buizel tried to use Sonic Boom again, but Drapion his tail with one of its claws. Then, something seemed to click in Ash's mind.

"Buizel, inflate your floatation sack!" the trainer said.

Buizel grinned, and did so; the yellow ring around his neck expanding to more than twice its previous size, and forcing Drapion's tail to loosen around it. With its main body free, Buizel then used Water Gun on the claw holding his tail captive; simultaneously forcing Drapion to release its grip, and shooting Buizel backwards into the air and out of range of Drapion's claws.

Paul didn't even seem surprised, much less concerned that Buizel escaped.

"Drapion, use Toxic Spikes," he commanded.

Drapion, while Buizel was still in the air, charged up a ball of purple energy and shot it onto the sky where it exploded into countless smaller bolts; these smaller projectiles then plummeted to earth, and sank into it seemingly doing nothing.

Jack scowled. "Toxic Spikes; that's almost like Stealth Rock, except…"

As soon as Buizel landed back on the ground, he cried out in pain as poison from the Toxic Spikes spread through his body. While Buizel was pretty much incapacitated from the pain, Drapion fired off another Pin Missile; unable to dodge in time, Buizel was hit by every shot and took a massive amount of damage. When the dust cleared, Buizel was unconscious.

Ash recalled Buizel with a solemn expression; he'd been right, the real battle had just begun.

* * *

Me: And thus begins the second time I've transcribed a battle from the Anime into the written word and put it in my story. The last time I did this, Ash's Gym battle with Maylene, it received such a positive response that I simply had to do it again; that, and I couldn't very well just gloss over what's possibly one of the most epic battles in the entire series! I mean seriously, this battle takes up three whole episodes; and while I was watching it for the first time, I was on the edge of my seat for the entire hour it took to binge-watch it all the way through (commercial free).

Jack: I have to admit, it's turning out to be a pretty exciting battle; I certainly hope it satiates the people who've been telling us we needed to have some more action soon. You know who you are…

Me: In any event, I hope you enjoyed the chapter; hopefully the next one won't be long in coming. Until then.


	13. A battle for the ages: P2

"Staraptor," Ash said, tossing a Pokéball onto the battlefield, "I choose you!"

Staraptor appeared in the customary flash of white light, and hovered above the arena floor; obviously being careful to avoid the Toxic Spikes. However, Paul's Drapion had other ideas; taking the momentum of the battle, the Ogre-Scorp Pokémon unleashed a volley of Pin Missiles at Staraptor. Fortunately, Staraptor easily avoided every single pin.

Hoping to break Drapion's momentum, Staraptor soared down at it from above with Aerial Ace; it looked like an easy hit, but then Drapion ducked flat to the ground. Its tail came up beneath Staraptor, who couldn't pull up in time to avoid it.

Staraptor tried to struggle free from the clawed tail which held it tight, but Drapion fired a Cross-Poison point-blank into its face; Staraptor took a massive amount of damage, and was also inflicted with poison. To finish it off, Drapion pounded Staraptor into the ground; allowing Toxic Spikes to take effect. That, combined with the damage Staraptor had taken in its fight with Gastrodon, was too much; Staraptor collapsed to the ground, unconscious.

Ash scowled, and held out a Pokéball. "Staraptor, return," he said, then his expression softened. "Thanks for fighting so hard; you're the best."

"Looks like Paul has started fighting for real," Jason commented.

"Oh, you don't say," Jack replied sarcastically. "What gave you that idea; the fact that he just wiped out two of Ash's Pokémon without his own even getting hit?"

Jason shrugged. "That was part of it, yes. Although I get the feeling that Ash is hardly at the end of his rope..."

Back down in the arena, Ash set his jaw and reached for another Pokéball.

"Now, Torterra," he said, "I choose you!"

"He's at the end of his rope," Jack and Jason deadpanned in perfect unison.

Torterra landed heavily on the ground, and was instantly wracked with pain from the Toxic Spikes; it soon shrugged it off, but Drapion gave it little time to recover and attacked with Cross-Poison. Torterra barely even flinched, and countered with Energy Ball; the more focused attack cut through Drapion's Cross-Poison, and scored a direct hit which flung Drapion back several meters.

The Ogre-Scorp Pokémon landed on four legs, but now it was Torterra's turn not to let up; the giant tortoise-like Pokémon shook a shower of razor-sharp foliage from the tree on its back, and launched it at Drapion in a powerful Leaf Storm attack. The tornado of leaves scored a direct hit on Drapion but, like Energy Ball, it wasn't very effective against a half Poison-type; Drapion shrugged off the attack and countered it with Pin Missile, and the two attacks collided and exploded in the center of the arena.

Even before the smoke from the explosion cleared, Torterra followed up with Rock Climb; slamming its front legs into the ground, it forced a column of rock to rise up underneath Drapion's feet. The pillar of earth shot up almost fifty feet, taking Drapion with it; then Torterra, six-inch claws suddenly growing from its feet, launched itself at Drapion.

Drapion was momentarily taken by surprise, but it quickly regained its balance and intercepted the incoming Terterra; grabbing onto the Continent Pokémon's shell with its front claws, and holding it suspended in midair. Then, before Torterra could even try to escape, Drapion clamped down with vicious Poison Fang; only then did it release Torterra, who tumbled headlong down into the ground.

Torterra, knowing that it couldn't withstand another hit like that, used Synthesis to heal its wounds; glowing with energy as it absorbed the sunlight. Drapion merely looked on as its opponent healed itself.

"What's Paul planning?" Jack pondered aloud. "It's almost like he's… waiting for something."

As soon as the move had finished working, Torterra started charging up an attack; but the onlookers never got to see what it was, since Drapion beat it to the punch with a powerful volley of Pin Missiles. Torterra, unprepared for the attack right after healing itself, took the full hit; and when the dust cleared, it was unconscious.

"Taking Torterra down right after it used Synthesis was a really bad break," Jack heard Barry say from the next row down, where the young trainer was sitting with Brock and Dawn.

"It was almost like Paul was waiting for Torterra to recover," Dawn commented.

"Paul was waiting alright," Brock said grimly. "Waiting for the perfect moment to strike; and the perfect moment to destroy Ash confidence."

"Torterra, return," Ash said, recalling Torterra to its Pokéball. "You gave it everything you had; thanks. Now get a good rest."

"You've still got your Gliscor left, don't you?" Paul said, with a hint of sarcasm.

Ash nodded. "Yeah."

"I feel it only fair to tell you, I've got your battle-style all figured out," Paul said matter-of-factly. "Thanks to Agron and Gastrodon."

Ash furrowed his brow. "What do you mean?"

"I purposely let you take out Agron and Gastrodon so I could be certain of your strategy, and exactly which Pokémon you'd use," Paul said, recalling Drapion to its Pokéball. "Ever since I brought out Drapion, I've been able to predict every one of your moves.

Ash seemed stunned for a second but then, to Paul's confusion, he grinned.

"Paul," Ash said; a spark returning to his eyes. "There's nobody quite like you; and that's why I'm going to win this."

Paul was momentarily taken aback, but after a second he too smiled; his expression was one of, for lack of a better word, contentment.

"You haven't changed," the purple-haired trainer said. "You're still the cocky, naive, optimistic trainer I met all those months ago; and that's why I'm going to win this."

"Gliscor," Ash said, tossing his Pokéball into the air, "I choose you!"

"Ninjask," Paul said, responding in kind, "Stand by for battle!"

"A Ninjask," Jack muttered. "I wonder…"

"Use agility," Paul commanded.

Paul had barely uttered the words before Ninjask disappeared from view, reappearing a few meters away from its initial position. It did this a few more times, literally flying rings around Gliscor; thanks to Agility, and its ability which Jack assumed was Speed Boost, it was almost as fast as Strike, Nicholas's Ninjask. Jack couldn't help but wonder if Paul had taken some pointers from their battle.

Gliscor was, understandably, a little disorientated from Ninjask's show of speed; every time it located Ninjask, the Bug-type would disappear again. Eventually though, at Ash's command, it stopped trying to pinpoint Ninjask and instead charged up a Stone Edge attack; launching a shower of jagged rocks which blanketed the arena, offering Ninjask no hiding places.

Ninjask didn't even flinch as it effortlessly avoided every stone that came its way. Its speed was so intense, even Jack could barely keep track of it; although one thing he did notice was that Ninjask seemed to only be able to maintain that speed over short distances. Even so, Ninjask emerged from the maelstrom of flying rocks completely unharmed; following up by lashing out with Fury Cutter at a bewildered Gliscor.

Gliscor couldn't even keep track of Ninjask's speed, and had absolutely no hope of avoiding the attack; Ninjask landed blow after blow with Fury Cutter, bouncing Gliscor around mid-air like a beach ball.

Gliscor tried in vain to land a hit on its assailant with Fire Fang, but Ninjask dodged it with contemptuous ease. The Ninja Pokémon reappeared above Gliscor and, using Fury Cutter once again, sent Gliscor plummeting to the ground.

Gliscor hit the ground hard, but even worse was the damage it took from Toxic Spikes a few second after the impact; Ash, knowing that Gliscor wouldn't take another hit, withdrew it to its Pokéball.

"Gliscor, return," Ash said. "Rest up; you'll get your chance, I promise."

"At this point all of Ash's Pokémon had taken plenty of damage," Jason said. "And Ninjask hasn't taken any. If Ash can't find a way around its speed, and quickly, Paul might finish things with Ninjask alone."

"Infernape," Ash said, tossing a Pokéball onto the field, "I choose you!"

Infernape appeared in a flash of light, and instantly took damage from Toxic Spikes.

Jack ground his teeth. "And then there's Toxic Spikes… Paul has Ash between a rock and a hard place, that's for sure. I'll be interested to see how Ash gets out of this one."

"You seem awfully confident that he will," Jason commented.

Jack shrugged. "What can I say; call it intuition."

"You read the script, didn't you."

"Shh," Jack said quickly, "they're about to start again."

"Infernape," Ash commanded, his confident grin returning, "use Dig!"

Jack's eyebrow shot up as though possessed. "Dig?"

"Dig," Jason affirmed.

Jack stared blankly down at the battlefield for a second, then a grin spread across his face and he let out a slow chuckle.

"Watch closely, Jason," he said, leaning back in his seat. "I have a strange feeling that we're about to witness the comeback of the century, and I intend to take notes. And before you ask, no; I didn't read the script."

Jason looked quizzically at his brother, but decided to keep quiet and watch; even though there wasn't much to see at the moment. Infernape had already burrowed into the ground and the battlefield had gone completely silent in anticipation, save for the sound of Infernape digging underneath the floor.

Suddenly, the digging stopped. Ash grinned and called out a command; a command which caused an expression of confusion to cross Paul's face, followed quickly by one of realization, and then fear.

"Infernape, Flare Blitz!"

Paul stood dumbfounded as the battlefield began to glow red with heat, and the blast shields rose up around him and Ash to protect them. Barely a second later, the arena erupted in a roaring inferno from underground; the flames rose easily more than fifty feet into the air, and the heat was so intense that Jack could feel it all the way up in the stands.

The immense blast of flames blew Ninjask upwards like a leaf in the wind, but that wasn't all. Flashes of purple light started popping up all around the battlefield as, one by one, the Toxic Spike were burned up from beneath. The attack complete, Infernape leapt out of the hole it had made and landed on the ground; around it the battlefield was filled with putrid smoke from the Toxic Spikes, but it soon cleared.

Jason's jaw hung open for a few seconds before he closed it with a snap. He then turned to his brother, who was looking pretty impressed himself.

"I've gotta admit," Jack said, "I was expecting something like that, but I wasn't expecting that. I certainly hope you got that, because there will be a quiz."

Jason shook his head. "And you're telling me you actually saw that coming?"

Jack shrugged. "Not that exactly, but I knew Ash had something up his sleeve; and I imagined it would be pretty impressive. Suffice it to say I was not disappointed. In fact, I'm starting to regret that we never got to travel with him; I'm sure it would've been interesting, at the very least."

Jason looked back down at the battlefield solemnly.

"I think you're right," he said, with something approaching awe in his voice.

Down in the arena, Ash was grinning confidently. "Well Paul, that takes care of your Toxic Spikes. What do you think of that?"

Paul had gotten over his astonishment by now, and he smiled a little.

I have to admit," he said, "That was a pretty clever move; I certainly didn't see it coming."

"Thanks," Ash replied. "Now bring it on."

"As you wish," Paul said. "Giga Drain!"

Ninjask darted over to Infernape and started circling above its head, but something was different.

"Ninjask is slowing down," Jason commented.

Jack nodded. "I'll bet it took a lot of damage from Flare Blitz; and Agility's probably worn off by now too. If he plays his cards right, this could be Ash's chance to take Ninjask down."

Ninjask, still flying in a ring around Infernape's head, started to glow as it absorbed energy from Infernape; leaving a trail of green energy behind it. Infernape took the hit, but kept its eyes on Ninjask; now that the Ninja Pokémon had slowed down, Infernape had no problem keeping track of it.

Infernape grunted to Ash, signaling that it was ready. At its trainer's command, Infernape then lashed out with Mach Punch at Ninjask; landing a solid hit, and sending the Bug-type flying. Ninjask hit the ground and bounced a few times before coming to a stop; completely unconscious.

Jason breathed a small sigh of relief. "Glass cannon?" he asked.

"That, or maybe Infernape's Flare Blitz did more damage than it seemed," Jack replied. "Either way, Ash just gained a little momentum; now he just needs to keep it."

Paul recalled Ninjask with an unreadable expression, and pulled out another Pokéball.

Ash looked at Infernape, who obviously wasn't up for another round quite yet, and made a call.

"Infernape, return and get a good rest," he said, recalling Infernape to its Pokéball.

"Froslass," Paul said, tossing his own Pokéball onto the field, "Stand by for battle!"

Froslass was a white, ghostly-looking Pokémon with a slim dress-like body and two thin arms with light blue frills, which looked like sleeves, hanging loosely from them. It also had what looked like a large red ribbon tied around its lower body, forming a bow at the back. Jack had never seen one before, but it creeped him out for some reason.

"An Ice-type..." Ash muttered to himself. "Alright Pikachu, you're up."

"Froslass," Paul commanded, "Hail."

Froslass floated up into the air like a ghost, and before Pikachu knew what was going on the battlefield was covered in icy fog. Froslass disappeared in the fog, and started reappearing randomly around Pikachu; obviously trying to mess with the Mouse Pokémon's mind. Then all of a sudden Hail real effect came into play; pellets of ice started falling from the sky and hitting Pikachu who, with no cover to hide under, could only try to endure the assault.

The second the hail let up, even if it was only a momentary reprieve, Pikachu fired off a Thunderbolt at Froslass; but the bolt missed its mark and dissipated harmlessly into the fog. Froslass then gathered the hail into an Ice Shard and threw it at Pikachu, who couldn't dodge in time and took a direct hit.

Pikachu was sent flying by the attack but he recovered quickly and retaliated with Volt Tackle, which Froslass dodged easily. The Ice/Ghost-type seemed almost to fade into the fog, making it impossible to pinpoint its exact location.

"I wonder," Jack muttered, bringing out his Pokédex. His hunch proved correct, as the device revealed Froslass's ability to be Snow Cloak; which, according to the Pokédex, increases the Pokémon's evasion in snowy weather.

Froslass was still fading in and out of view all over the battlefield, and Pikachu was still taking constant damage from Hail. Froslass, tired of waiting around being spooky, fired off another Ice Shard; but this time Pikachu jumped clean into the air and, pinpointing Froslass's location from the Ice Shard it had fired, brought a crushing Iron Tail down on Froslass's head.

Froslass went down like a ton of bricks, and crashed into the ground. The hit also broke Froslass's concentration, causing Hail to dissipate and the sun to shine once more. Froslass got back up, unfortunately, but it had lost its momentum. A half-smile played across Paul's face once again.

"Why does he keep doing that?" Jason asked. "He keeps smiling every time Ash interrupts his strategy."

Jack shrugged. "I don't really know, although I'd be interested to find out. I can only assume he enjoys a good challenge, and it wouldn't be much fun if Ash didn't surprise him every once in a while."

Down in the arena, Froslass floated back up in the air and fired off an Ice Beam at Pikachu. The Mouse Pokémon tried to dodge it, but the attack struck true and Pikachu was quickly frozen solid in a block of ice. Froslass then charged up an Ice Shard, and prepared to fling it at the defenceless Electric-type. If it hit, the battle would be over.

At the last second, Pikachu summoned as much electricity as he could muster and blasted his icy prison to smithereens; once free, he charged straight at Froslass with Volt Tackle. With no fog to hide it, the Ice-type had nowhere to go; Volt Tackle hit hard, and sent Froslass crashing to the ground. When the dust cleared, Pikachu had taken quite a bit of damage in recoil from his attack; but Froslass was out for the count.

"And so falls the fourth," Jason commented. "Ash is on a roll."

Jack nodded. "True, but he still needs to be careful; Paul still has two Pokémon, one of which hasn't even battled yet. And all three of Ash's Pokémon have already taken heavy damage. At this point, one wrong move and Ash is done."

Jason threw up his paws in exasperation. "What is it with you today? It seems like every time I say something, you say the opposite. Every time I say things look bad, you say Ash'll turn things around; and when I start getting optimistic again, you say it could easily go either way."

"You're just always wrong, that's all," Jack said with a shrug.

Jason snorted. "No kidding. I thought Solomon was the resident master of strategy; since when are you so good at thinking two steps ahead?"

Jack shrugged again. "Maybe I've just learned a thing or two; you know, by osmosis or something. Now shush, the battle's about to start again."

"Drapion, stand by for battle!"

"Gliscor, I choose you!"

The two Pokémon faced each other down; both of them had taken damage, but neither of them was going to go down quietly.

"Drapion," Paul commanded, "Pin Missile."

"Gliscor, up!" Ash shouted.

Drapion fired a volley of glowing projectiles at Gliscor, to which the Fang Scorpion Pokémon responded by launching itself off the ground into the sky; dodging the attack completely. Once airborne, Gliscor fired off a hail of razor sharp Stone Edge at Drapion, who countered with Cross Poison; resulting in a stalemate, and an explosion which covered the sky above the arena floor with thick smoke.

Gliscor, hidden from below by the cloud of smoke, used Giga Impact; all that Paul and Drapion could see through the smoke was flashes of light which seemed to come from all over at once. Then, before Drapion could pinpoint it, Gliscor exited the cloud directly above the Ogre Scorp Pokémon.

Drapion prepared a Poison Fang attack to counter, but at the last second Gliscor changed its trajectory and came down right behind Drapion's head. Drapion took massive damage from the powerful Giga Impact attack; and before it could turn around and nab Gliscor with its tail, the Ground/Flying-type in question was nowhere to be found.

Drapion looked up to see Gliscor, who was momentarily paralysed from Giga Impact's backlash, riding the updraft caused by the attack itself back up out of Drapion's reach. The perfect hit-and-run attack.

"Well done, Ash," Paul said to his opponent. "That Stone Edge got my attention, and I fell right into your trap. But this is far from over; Pin Missile!"

The claws on Drapion's arms glowed white as it unleashed a maelstrom of glowing projectiles; Gliscor knew it couldn't dodge all of them, so it did the only thing Paul might not expect. It dropped like a stone straight towards Drapion, weaving between the Pin Missiles which rushed past it mere inches away; as it fell Gliscor crossed its front arms, which glowed with energy as it prepared a powerful X-Scissor attack aimed straight at Drapion's head.

The last leg of the battle between Ash and Paul had officially begun.


	14. A battle for the ages: P3

Gliscor dived straight at Drapion, aiming a powerful X-Scissor at its head and at the same time dodging the hail of Pin Missiles which were flying past it. The distance between them dropped from fifty feet to twenty, then ten, then five…

But there were just too many Pin Missiles to dodge at such close quarters; Gliscor took one straight to the face, then several more struck it in rapid succession effectively stopping its attack cold and knocking it out of the air. Gliscor hit the ground hard, but fortunately it managed to get back on its feet.

Drapion, not wanting to give Gliscor any time to recover, pressed its advantage with Cross Poison; firing off a powerful, X-shaped blast of purple energy. Gliscor wasn't ready to just give up and go home though; moving at speeds that shouldn't have been possible for a Pokémon in its condition, Gliscor launched itself at Drapion. Effortlessly avoiding the Cross Poison, and taking Drapion completely by surprise, it closed in on the Ogre Scorp Pokémon and latched onto its arm with Fire Fang.

The attack dealt a massive amount of damage and, as Gliscor floated up and away to safety, the flames from the attack spread over Drapion's entire body to deal even more. That, combined with the damage Drapion had already taken, was too much; the Dark/Poison-type collapsed to the ground, unconscious. Paul recalled his second-to-last Pokémon with an unreadable expression.

Jason looked at Jack warily. "So… any thoughts on how the battle's going?"

Jack chuckled mischievously. "Oh, why don't you go first; I'm dying to hear your opinion."

Jason looked back down at the battlefield. "I'd say that Ash is hardly out of the woods yet; Paul's last Pokémon is a mystery, and all of Ash's Pokémon have taken heavy damage. Ash only has to make one wrong move and he loses; but the same goes for Paul. The battle could still go either way."

Jack leaned back in his seat. "You right."

Jason did a double-take. "I am? I mean, of course I am."

Jack furrowed his brow. "This whole time, Ash and Paul have kept within striking distance of each other; neither one pulling ahead far enough to assure their victory. They're almost perfectly evenly matched; but I think Ash is going to win."

"Seriously," Jason asked, "When did you get so good at thinking two steps ahead?"

Jack shook his head. "I'm really not; I'm pretty sure Solomon knows exactly who's going to win. In fact, he could probably tell you exactly what moves are going to be called several seconds in advance. I've picked up a lot of basic stuff from him, but I'm still hardly a master of strategy. Anyway, Ash and Paul have waited long enough for all this exposition; let's pan dramatically back to them."

One dramatic pan later, Ash was about to recall Gliscor; the Ground/Flying-type had taken a lot of damage, and probably wouldn't be able to take on a new opponent at this point. Especially one who was starting off fresh. However, for some reason Ash paused as Paul sent out his final Pokémon.

"Electivire, stand by for battle!"

Paul's last Pokémon was, somewhat predictably, his Electivire; the large, yellow Electric-type was probably the strongest fighter on Paul's team. On the other hand…

"Electric-type moves won't have any effect on Gliscor," Ash muttered under his breath. "But still…"

As if sensing its trainer's indecision, Gliscor turned around and grinned confidently at Ash.

"I'll be fine," Gliscor said, although Ash couldn't understand the words. "I can take him, leave it to me."

Ash seemed to understand, at least in part, and returned Gliscor's grin. "Alright then Gliscor, you've got yourself a deal."

"I'd call that a good move," Jack commented, "Except I'm almost certain Paul would have a plan for dealing with Ground-types. And I get the feeling we're about to see it."

Jack's guess proved to be accurate as the moment the round started, Electivire plunged its two cable-like tails into the ground and used Thunder. The powerful attack ripped up the surface of the battlefield and sent shards of densely packed dirt flying high into the air.

Gliscor barely even registered a potential threat until one of the clumps of hardened earth fell out of the sky and hit in the back of the head; followed closely by another, and another. The attack didn't do a whole lot of damage, but Gliscor was still dangerously low on health.

"Don't try to finish it with one hit…" Jack groaned.

Ash, knowing that Gliscor wouldn't be able to take a prolonged battle, decided to finish it in one hit. Gliscor launched itself into the air, and then dive-bombed Electivire with Giga Impact. Gliscor flew right into Paul's trap, as Electivire blocked the attack with its arms and then used its twin tails to grab hold of Gliscor.

Electivire raised its right arm above Gliscor's head, and then brought it down in a crushing Brick Break; simultaneously allowing Gliscor to slip free of its tails. The Fang Scorpion Pokémon hit the ground hard, and bounced several times before coming to a stop. When the dust cleared, Gliscor was out for the count.

Jack's eyes narrowed. "That Electivire is going to be trouble; it knows Thunder and Brick Break, and I wonder what else."

"Alright Gliscor, return," Ash said, recalling the defeated Pokémon to its Pokéball. "Take a good rest; I'll make sure we win this. Pikachu, I choose you."

Pikachu, rested and ready to go, ran forward into the arena. Electivire didn't waste any time, and sent a powerful Thunder attack into the ground; the same technique it had used against Gliscor. The attack once again sent a hail of rocks and dirt into the air, but Pikachu anticipated the tactic and used Quick Attack to dodge the falling debris.

Once he had built up enough speed, Pikachu launched himself into the air; jumping from rock to rock in mid-air, at speeds that even Jack found impressive. Once he was within striking distance of Electivire, Pikachu fell like a ton of bricks right on Electivire's head.

The attack did a decent amount of damage but Electivire recovered quickly and, before Pikachu could retreat to safety, sent its tails to catch Pikachu and hold it still. Pikachu tried to use Iron Tail to escape, but Electivire used its tails to slam him into the ground; but just before Pikachu hit the ground, he spun around and used his tail to absorb the impact. The shock also jarred Electivire's tails loose, allowing Pikachu to escape.

Electivire, not wanting Pikachu to catch his breath, pursued it with Brick Break; Pikachu countered with Quick Attack, and the two broke even and separated. Then Ash called probably the most unexpected move possible.

"Pikachu, use Volt Tackle!"

Paul was momentarily taken aback, but then he grinned. "Electivire, block it."

As Pikachu closed in on Electivire, the larger Electric-type simply held out its arms; Pikachu, his body charged to bursting with electricity, hit Electivire head on and then quickly retreated back to safety.

Electivire took the attack without even flinching, and quickly soaked up the electricity like a sponge; even while Pikachu took damage from the recoil of his own attack.

""What was Ash thinking?" Jason asked incredulously. "He knew very well that Volt Tackle would have no effect."

Jack furrowed his brow. "He must have some sort of plan… maybe."

Once Electivire had finished absorbing the energy from Volt Tackle, it utilised its newfound speed to rush in with Thunder Punch towards Pikachu.

Now it was Ash's turn to grin. "Pikachu, use Iron Tail!"

Pikachu's tail glowed with energy as he swung it to block Electivire's punch. The two attacks collided in a shower of sparks but, to Ash's dismay, they remained locked in a stalemate.

"But how?" Ash exclaimed. "Is Electivire stronger after all?"

"Don't you remember, Ash?" Paul said. "This is the exact same situation as when we battled the first time. You must have wanted to get in close so could finish the battle with Iron Tail; but now, Pikachu's stuck. And if it lets up, even a little, it will be overwhelmed by Thunderpunch."

Ash gritted his teeth; he'd taken a risk, relying on Pikachu's speed and power to get past Electivire's defences, and it hadn't payed off. But Paul wasn't even finished, and his next words hit Ash like a hammer.

"And you know, there is move Electivire can use with its free hand."

"Brick Break," Ash said, hoping he was wrong.

Paul grinned. "Correct. Electivire, use Brick Break!"

"Pikachu, get out of there!" Ash called desperately, but he could only watch helplessly as Electivire's arm came down on Pikachu's head.

The Mouse Pokémon hit the ground hard, and rolled several meters before coming to a stop. He struggled to get back on his feet, but his legs gave out under him and he collapsed; unconscious.

Ash carried the unconscious Electric-type back to the trainer's box and set him down, where he quickly woke up and looked up at his trainer; uttering an quiet "Pika pi."

"It's okay Pikachu," Ash said, understanding Pikachu's tone even if he couldn't understand the words. "You did your best. "I promise, this battle isn't over yet; just you watch. Hey, Paul," he said, calling out to his rival. "Truth is, your strategy made all the difference even though my numbers looked better. But, I'm still going to win this."

Ash grinned and pulled out Infernape's Pokéball; the spark in his eyes still glowing bright. Even more so now that it was down to the wire; Ash seemed genuinely excited to be fighting Paul, a trainer who had proved himself time and time again to be a both capable and powerful opponent.

"In that case," Paul replied with a grin that was surprisingly similar to Ash's, "Give it your best shot."

"Infernape, I choose you!"

Infernape appeared in a flash of light, and shouted in anticipation of the upcoming battle; every bit as excited, and confident, as its trainer.

"So it all comes down to Infernape vs Electivire," Jack commented. "I have to admit, I'm on pins and needles here; I have no idea who's going to win, it could easily go either way at this point."

"Yeah," Jason agreed. "I agree with you about the pins and needles; this battle has me on the edge of my seat. I can't wait to see what happens."

Jack growled. "If that author decides to end the chapter here, I'm gonna knock him into next week."

Point taken.

The moment the round started, Electivire went on the offensive with Thunderpunch forcing Infernape to counter with Mach Punch; the two attack clashed, broke even, and then exploded. The blast kicked up a cloud of dust as the two Pokémon retreated to their respective sides of the arena.

Infernape quickly followed up with Flamethrower, spitting a roaring column of fire at Electivire who threw up a hasty Protect to block it and then responded with Thunder. Infernape dodged the attack by going underground with Dig, and then coming up beneath Electivire and attacking from below; landing a powerful, and super-effective, hit which sent Electivire flying.

Infernape jumped back to its side of the arena to survey its handywork; it suffered a little damage from the ongoing effects of Toxic Spikes, but it didn't seem fazed. Unfortunately, Electivire also got up and settled back into a combat stance; seemingly none the worse for wear.

"I know I've seen battles between Ash and Paul before," Jack heard Dawn say from the next row down, "But for some reason there's something completely different about this one…"

"It may be because they're finally facing off against each other in the same state of mind," Brock said as the battle continued to rage below them.

"What do you mean?" Dawn asked.

Brock watched as Infernape and Electivire went at each other again and again with Mach Punch and Thunderpunch respectively.

"Reggie once called them 'two sides of the same coin'," Brock continued thoughtfully. "Mirrors of each other. They have the same goals, but they've always taken different paths to reach them. Now they're really battling face to face, head on, and for the first time they're both fighting for the same reason; and I think they both realize that."

Down in the arena, Infernape and Electivire had reached another stalemate; they'd been firing off attacks at each other nonstop, with neither side giving an inch. But both Ash and Paul knew the battle was going to end soon; one way or another.

Infernape lunged forward with Mach Punch once again, but this time Electivire was ready for it; as the Flame Pokémon closed in, Electivire stepped to the side. Infernape flew past it, and Electivire's tail wrapped around Infernape's outstretched arm.

Before Infernape could even try to escape, Electivire used Thunder; point blank, full power. Electricity flooded through Infernape's body for several seconds, dealing an intense amount of damage. By the time Electivire let up on its electrical assault, Infernape's body was limp and steaming. Electivire released its grip on Infernape's arm, and the Fire-type crumpled to the ground like a ragdoll.

"AND INFERNAPE IS DOWN!" the announcer exclaimed.

Jack nearly jumped out of his seat. "Is it over?"

"Poor Infernape…" Dawn said softly.

The tension in the audience was so thick you could've cut it with a knife; everyone holding their breath to see if Infernape would get up or not. Down in the arena, Infernape wasn't moving; its eyes were rolled back in its head. The referee made the obvious call.

"Infernape is unable to…"

He was interrupted by a growl; after looking around, confused, the referee realized that the growl had come from Infernape. The Flame Pokémon groaned in exertion as it forced itself to its feet; it opened its eyes, but they were unfocused and dim. Infernape was standing, but only barely.

Infernape's gaze drifted over to Electivire, who was taunting the near-unconscious Fire-type to come and get it, and then to Paul.

"If that's really the best you can do," the purple-haired trainer said, looking somewhat disappointed, "then you really are pathetic."

Infernape let out a low growl and gritted its teeth. Then, to the utter astonishment of everyone, Infernape grinned; it closed its eyes, and when it opened them again they were filled with determination. Infernape stood up straight and tall, and let out a guttural bellow; the flame on its head glowing bright and brighter, until it suddenly exploded upwards into a towering inferno that engulfed Infernape's entire body and rose high into the sky in a blinding fury.

"Blaze!" Jack exclaimed joyously. "It's Infernape's ability, the same one Sunspot used against us; the lower Infernape's health gets, the more powerful its Fire-type moves become!"

"This must have been what Ash was going for all along," Jason said with something approaching awe in his voice. "He was counting on Infernape's unbreakable spirit to keep him standing, even while he's on the brink of blacking out."

"Time for the real battle," Ash said. "Infernape, Flamethrower!"

Infernape drew in a huge breath, but when he released the attack it wasn't so much a stream of flames so much as a white-hot pillar of heat which nearly blinded anyone dumb enough to look at it directly.

Electivire had used Protect too much, and was forced to try and counter with Thunder; but Infernape's attack effortlessly overpowered Electivire and scored a devastating hit, forcing the blast shields to go up around Paul. Even before the smoke cleared, Infernape lunged in and scored a second hit with Mach Punch. Even after all that, Electivire was still standing; but it wouldn't last much longer against Infernape, and both trainers knew it.

"Let's finish this!" they both said in perfect unison.

"Thunderpunch!"

"Flare Blitz, GO!"

The two Pokémon closed in on each other; Electivire with Thunderpunch, its fists crackling with electricity, Infernape with Flare Blitz, its entire body wrapped in a raging inferno of blue flames. The two attack met in the middle of the arena; the amount of energy coming off them was so intense, it swirled into a roaring vortex of blue and yellow which blasted into the sky at least a hundred feet high. The blast shields came up against, this time around both trainers; and a good thing too, or they both would've been fried by the sheer force of the blast.

"So that's why the arena doesn't have a roof," Jack said numbly, staring at the dumbfounding display of power before him.

Even Jack couldn't see what was happening inside the vortex, but he saw the mass of swirling energy momentarily flare up almost twice as much before finally settling down. Once the spots faded from his eyes, Jack and the rest of the audience saw Infernape and Electivire standing a few meters apart with their backs to each other. Infernape flinched as the recoil from its attack hit it, but when the smoke cleared, Electivire was still standing.

Infernape turned around to look its opponent in the eyes, and the two Pokémon stared at each other for several seconds; neither willing to lose. The tension grew; both in the audience, and between the two trainers. The anticipation froze everyone in place; no one so much as breathed for fear of missing something. But eventually, Electivire crumpled to the ground in a heap; unconscious. It was over; Infernape had won the battle, and Ash had won the match.


	15. When one life touches another

Jack recalled his team back into the Pack and ran down to the arena; both to congratulate Ash on his astonishing victory, and to get ready for his own match which was up next. He met Ash in the hallway leading out of the arena, and the two shared an enthusiastic handshake.

"That was an amazing battle," Jack said. "It really got my blood pumping; you could say, it got me all fired up."

Ash chuckled. "Isn't that my line? Anyway, I'm glad you liked it. Paul and I have fought before, but never like this. This is also the first time I've ever beaten him, so I'm really hyped. Have you ever met Paul before?"

Jack nodded, his expression neutral. "Yeah, we've met. You know Lucy, my Absol? I won her from him."

Ash nodded. "Actually, Infernape used to be Paul's Pokémon back when it was still a Chimchar; Paul released it after it lost a battle, and I took it in. He might seem… harsh? Aloof? Apathetic? All of the above? I don't know. But deep down, he's not really. He cares about his Pokémon just like I do, even if he doesn't usually show it."

Jack nodded thoughtfully. "I'll keep that in mind. Anyway, my battle's up next. Wish me luck."

"As if you needed any," Ash shot back with a grin. "But good luck anyway. See ya."

With that Jack stepped out into the arena, and Ash walked up to sit with Dawn and Brock to watch the rest of the matches.

Jack's quarter-final match went almost as quickly as he expected, with Jason, Ivy, and Solomon wiping out their opponent's entire team in less than ten minutes flat. The other trainer did have a few nasty surprises up his sleeve, such as a Ninjask that used Substitute, Agility a bunch of times, and then Baton Pass to switch to a Smeargle. Smeargle then set up Ingrain and Belly Drum while being protected by Ninjask's Substitute, and then it too used Baton Pass; this time to switch with a powerful Hitmonchan who, with the effects of multiple Agility moves, Ingrain, and Belly Drum backing it up thanks to Baton Pass, gave even Jason a run for his money.

The fight between Jason and Hitmonchan ended with Jason the victor, but too weak to take on another opponent; so Jack sent out Ivy instead, and from then on it was smooth sailing. The trainer's other three Pokémon were strong, but not strong enough; they tried that Baton Pass chain trick again, but Jack was expecting it and didn't let them pull it off a second time.

All things considered, the battle went fairly well. Afterwards, Jack headed back to the stands to watch the remaining two matches; although the only one that actually interested him was Tobias's. The mysterious trainer once again took out his opponent's team with only Darkrai, but Jack had already figured out the strategy Tobias was using.

Darkrai's first move was almost always Dark Void and, unless its opponent was a Dark-type, Darkrai then followed up with Dream Eater; dealing massive damage, which would often one-hit-KO the other Pokémon. If Dream Eater didn't knock out its opponent in one hit, Darkrai would usually then switch to Ice Beam before repeating the process. That, combined with Darkrai's penchant for evading its opponent's attacks, was likely what had won Tobias so many battles.

Of course with that information, it wouldn't be too difficult to come up with a counter-strategy; like sending out Lucy first. But Jack was hesitant to act rashly; he'd already seen that Tobias had contingency plans for situations in which Dream Eater wouldn't work. Sending out Jason first was also an option, to try and knock Darkrai out with lightning speed and super-effective moves before it could use Dark Void.

Tobias's match was the last one of the day, so Jack had plenty of time to speculate on potential stratagems. He'd have to run them by Solomon that night and see what the resident 'master of strategy' thought.

After the daily matches were finished, Jack decided to take the scenic route back to the hotel. The sun was just setting past the horizon, painting the sky with a stunning collage of brilliant reds and oranges. Looking at the beautiful sunset filled him with determination; he was going to win the Sinnoh League.

"And find out who's stalking me," Jack muttered to himself, although it was far from an afterthought.

As he was walking, Jack heard voices behind him. Ordinarily he wouldn't have payed much attention, but he recognised one of the voices as Ash's. Turning around, Jack started walking back towards the voices. There was another one, but it was a lot quieter than Ash's and Jack couldn't quite make it out.

As he turned around the corner of the colosseum, finding himself on the road that led to Lily of the Valley Town, he realized that Ash was talking to someone who was just leaving the stadium. He was about to go and see who, when the person in question walked out from behind the row of shrubbery that lined the path. When Jack saw who it was, a million different emotions instantly started jumping around in his head; but to his own surprise, anger didn't come out on top.

"Paul," Jack said calmly, his expression staying neutral.

Paul seemed somewhat taken aback at seeing Jack there, but his surprise quickly faded into his usual poker face.

"Jack Storm," the purple haired trainer replied. "I was wondering if I'd run into you on my way out."

"I saw your match with Ash," Jack commented, not knowing what else to say. "It was close there at the end."

Paul nodded. "Yes; although looking back on it now, I can see that outcome was pretty much inevitable. Ash has a strength that I can't match; his Pokémon fight because they want to make him happy. They care about the battle just as much as he does, because he does, and they fight all the harder for it." Paul looked Jack in the eyes. "I suppose that's one thing I never really understood, although Ash did his best to teach me. And, in your own way, I guess you did too."

Jack was stunned, completely speechless. It was all he could do to keep his mouth from hanging open. He'd held hopes that Paul had changed, but he'd never imagined this. It was like talking to a completely different person.

"I still say that my training methods are my business..."

Well, maybe not completely different.

"But," Paul continued, lowering his gaze slightly as a sliver of regret slipping into his tone, "I admit that I may have been wrong to treat my Pokémon as harshly as I did."

Jack felt a stab of anger as he remembered Lucy's scars, but this time he found it a lot easier to quell.

Paul lifted his gaze back up and looked Jack in the eyes again. "We'll probably never be friends, you and I, but I… I want to ask a favor of you."

"Name it," Jack replied without thinking.

Paul's expression changed slightly; deep regret painting itself across his face, and his voice. When he spoke, Jack didn't doubt his words at all; he obviously meant every one.

"The next time you talk to... to Lucy, tell her I'm sorry for what I did to her. Tell her that I'll never treat anyone else like that again, I promise."

Jack was suddenly very conscious of the fact that Lucy, as well as the rest of his team, were still in the device on his back; and with the snake-cam/microphone still poking over his shoulder, they might very well have seen and heard everything. Thomas controlled what they could see and hear from inside the Pack, so there was a chance that they had no idea what was going on; but he wasn't sure whether or not he'd actually prefer that they stayed ignorant.

Jack was about to say… something, although he had no idea what, when there was a bright flash of light from inside his backpack. The light flowed out and solidified in front of him and, even before the light faded and he could see again, Jack knew exactly who it was.

"Paul," the Absol said gently, tears in her eyes.

"Why not tell her yourself?" Jack asked, pretending that he'd orchestrated Lucy's appearance.

The guilt on Paul's face intensified as he looked at the Pokémon he'd once trained half to death, and then lost to Jack in a battle. Paul tried to say something, but the words seemed to stick in his throat. Jack was once again struck with how much Paul had changed since they last met; the old Paul would never have shown his emotions this freely.

"Lucy," Paul managed to say, "I…"

Lucy turned to Jack. "Tell him."

"What… what did she say?" Paul asked fearfully.

Jack looked at Paul; the person he'd hated with a burning passion for so long. Now though, that person was gone and in his place was a trainer who would never do what the old Paul had done. A trainer who honestly wanted to be better. As Jack said the words, he realized that he was speaking for himself just as much as Lucy.

"I forgive you."

Paul stared at Jack for a second, then he realized what those words meant. The trainer's expression changed to one of astonishment, and his eyes started to tear up. He looked back down at Lucy, and sank down to his knees. Lucy walked over to her former trainer and, approaching from the right to avoid her scythe getting in the way, nuzzled his face with the side of her head.

Paul could barely comprehend what was happening, but Jack knew that Lucy was giving the Absol equivalent of a hug. As Paul realized what the gesture meant, that Lucy really had forgiven him, he tentatively wrapped his arms around her and gently returned the embrace. Lucy continued to nuzzle him as tears flowed down the trainer's cheeks and an innocent, almost child-like joy spread across his face.

"Thank you," Paul said quietly, his voice muffled by Lucy's thick fur. "Thank you, Lucy."

Jack wiped a tear from his own eye as he watched the touching scene. Although he had no intention of giving him a hug, Jack found that he had forgiven Paul; completely.

Once Paul's tears had run dry, he stood up and faced Jack again. His expression had once again settled into his natural poker-face. Devoid of any emotion except for a faint hint of a smile, which he couldn't quite erase, playing at the corners of his mouth.

"Thank you for taking such good care of Lucy, Jack," Paul said. "I'm glad she's happy with you. I hope we cross paths again some day. And… I look forward to having a real battle with you. Especially if you end up winning the Sinnoh League."

"You're not going to stay and watch the rest of the tournament?" Jack asked, as Lucy trotted back over to his side.

Paul shook his head. "There's no point. It'll be on every news channel about a hundred times a day anyway. And I've got to get back to my brother's house, to see the rest of my Pokémon; and he'll probably want a battle as well when I get there."

"Alright then," Jack replied. "Good luck. I hope we see each other again some day too. Who knows, maybe we could be friends after all."

Paul chuckled cynically. "Now you're starting to sound like Ash. Anyway, see ya."

With that, Paul turned around and walked away into the sunset leaving Jack and Lucy staring after him. After a while of standing there, watching the trainer's retreating form, Jack and Lucy turned around as well and walked back to the hotel in silence; neither wanting to spoil the moment by speaking.

As they walked, Jack put his right hand on Lucy's head; feeling her brace up against his hand as he started scratching her in the special spot right behind her scythe. Jack knew how much she loved to be scratched there, and he felt she'd earned it, What she'd just done was the most beautiful things he'd ever seen. This was a moment Jack wanted to treasure forever, until his dying day.


	16. The calm

Me: Hi there; did you miss us?

Jack: Some of you might have noticed that the last few chapters have been lacking author's notes. Let me tell you, this was not simply an oversight on our part; as much as I'd like to say it was…

Me: Oh don't be like that. Anyway, we haven't been doing author's notes for… well, I guess for two reasons; the first being that we didn't have time to record them. We've been really, really busy lately and we just didn't have time to get everything set up; much less edited. The second reason…

Jack: QUICK, CUT TO THE CHAPTER!

* * *

Jack watched grimly as Ash's Pikachu fell; taking Tobias's second Pokémon, Latios, down with Iron Tail but being knocked out in turn by Latios's Luster Purge. The battle hadn't gone well for Ash; with Darkrai taking out half of his team single-handedly.

Ash's Sceptile did eventually bring down Darkrai, to the astonishment of nearly everyone present, but then Tobias had sent out a Latios; yet another Legendary Pokémon. Latios had made short work of the rest of Ash's team, except for Pikachu; who took Luster Purge head on with Iron Tail, scoring one last hit. When the dust cleared, both Latios and Pikachu were unconscious.

Jack watched the entire battle with bated breath, and a keen eye; he could feel immense power emanating from the battlefield, but he wasn't entirely convinced that Tobias's Darkrai was the real deal. It was powerful, to be sure, but not Legendarily powerful. But if that was true, then that meant there was more than one Darkrai; and if so, then were there multiple Dialgas or Gratinas running around?

For the sake of his sanity, and his hopes of a good night's sleep, Jack decided not to think about the possibility of duplicate Legendaries; he'd had enough trouble with one set…

Jack's head snapped up as he had a 'eureka' moment.

"If that's the real Darkrai," he muttered to himself, "Then why haven't I been having nightmares? And Nicholas hasn't been complaining about nightmares either. I guess Tobias might just keep it in its Pokéball at night, but still… And speaking of nightmares…"

Jack hadn't had any nightmares since he freed the Legendary Birds back in Pastoria three months ago; but thinking back, he remembered that they didn't seem like normal dreams at all.

"Maybe Darkrai had something to do with it…" Jack muttered.

Once again however, he realized that no amount of speculation would magically cause an answer to appear; it was all one big puzzle, but Jack was pretty sure he didn't have all the pieces. And until he found them, all he could do was keep his eyes peeled.

His own semi-final match, which had gone before Ash and Tobias's, had been almost depressingly easy; mostly because Jack had switched up his team order almost completely by sending Cap out first. Cap had barely fought at all in the tournament before that, and his fluid, and unexpected, transitions from defence to offence and back again caught the other trainer completely by surprise almost every time. Cap knocked out four of their opponent's Pokémon before they could wear down his stamina, and Katana made short work of their remaining two after that.

After the semi-finals were finished, Jack paid Ash a visit at his trainer suite. Unlike Paul, Ash intended to see the Sinnoh League to the end.

"I don't think I have to tell you this," The black-haired trainer told Jack. "But be careful when you fight Tobias tomorrow; he's unbelievably strong. He took down all six of my Pokémon with just two of his own."

Jack nodded solemnly. "I saw. He's certainly a whole lot more powerful than I originally thought; out of all the people in the League, I've been anticipating my fight with him the most. No offence."

Ash shook his head with a rueful chuckle. "None taken; you probably could've beaten me almost as decisively as Tobias did."

"Not quite, I don't think," Jack replied with a shrug. "And that's what worries me. If Tobias took you down that easily, then it'll be a close match; to put it lightly. We know he's got Darkrai and Latios, I think it's safe to say he's got at least a few more legendaries on his team as well."

Ash snapped his fingers. "That reminds me; Tobias said something to me while we were fighting. He said that Gible's Draco Meteor would've instantly knocked out any of his Pokémon except for Darkrai. That could mean that the rest of his team aren't as strong, or maybe the rest of his team is all Dragon-types like Latios."

Jack furrowed his brow thoughtfully. "Maybe, but I'd be hesitant to plan my entire strategy around that assumption; what if he switches up his team to throw me off? On the other hand, it is something to consider; thanks."

"No problem," Ash replied with a grin. "I'm happy to help. Just promise me one thing; beat him for me, okay?"

Jack returned the younger trainer's grin. "No problem; Tobias won't know what hit him."

* * *

Jack spent the rest of that day in a giant strategy session with Solomon, Jason, and Thomas; everyone else spent most of the day with Nicholas, who was also sticking around for the end of the tournament.

The four of them agreed that Tobias was probably going to send out Darkrai first; to test Jack's strength. They also all agreed that sending in Jason first was probably their best bet; but after that things started to get fuzzy. Solomon wanted to have at least a rudimentary plan for every possible outcome, while Thomas argued that it was a waste of valuable time to plan for anything other than what he calculated was by far the most likely outcome.

They eventually decided to reach a compromise; Thomas would calculate the three or four most likely scenarios, and they would plan for each of those. However, as soon as they got past Darkrai they ran into trouble; aside from Latios, Tobias's other Pokémon were a complete mystery. Thomas agreed that the probability of Tobias sending out Latios second again were decidedly slim; so there simply wasn't much more planning they could do.

At the end of the day, they had half a dozen ways to defeat Darkrai with only one Pokémon; and not much else. Still, if they could accomplish even that it would give them a bit of an edge; allowing them to alternate between Pokémon at will, giving the ones who had already fought a chance to recover. They also agreed that, if it turned out that most of Tobias's other Pokémon were Dragon-types after all, Wendy would make a perfect striker with her new Moonblast technique; or Aura with Extremespeed.

Jack slept uneasily that night. He had no doubt that he'd defeat Tobias somehow, he was the protagonist after all, but there was still something nagging at the back of his mind; a strange feeling that he was missing something…

Despite Jack's unease, he managed to get what equated to a good night's sleep; and a new day dawned bright and clear. A perfect day for a battle; and a perfect day for the stalls and booths outside the stadium to haul in some extra cash from excited tourists on what would be the last day of the tournament. Jack and Tobias would have their battle, the closing ceremonies would be held, and that was it; the Lily of the Valley Conference would be over until next year.

After he'd gotten dressed and cleaned up, Jack went out with Jason for a pre-sunrise jog as they had been doing for the last few days as a substitute for meditation; which was next to impossible with so many people in close proximity to them.

"Jack," Jason asked as they jogged around the colosseum. "Why do you care so much about winning the Sinnoh league?"

Jack pondered the question for a second. "Well it's not for the prize money, that's for sure; or the 'prestigious' title of Pokémon Master…"

If Jason had eyebrows, he would've raised them. "Then why?"

Jack gave the question a little more thought before replying, "For the sake of winning, I guess. I mean, the whole reason we even started beating the Sinnoh gyms was for the adventure. This tournament is the end of that adventure, and I really want to see it through; and," he continued with a grin, "I want to end it with a bang."

Jason didn't doubt that; he knew Jack had quite a competitive streak. But he also knew that Jack wasn't telling him the whole story. They might not have been brothers by birth, but they knew each other inside and out.

 _"Or at least,"_ Jason thought ruefully to himself, _"We used to."_

Jason was right of course; Jack had more reason to win the Sinnoh League than he cared to admit, even to Jason. Especially to Jason in fact, because Jack knew all too well that the Lucario disapproved of his fixation with their mysterious stalker.

 _"Does Jason just want me to forgive and forget," Jack wondered, "While all of us are in danger? I don't see why he isn't more worried about this, considering someone mind-controlled the Legendary birds themselves into attacking us!"_

Neither of them were willing to start what they both thought would be an awkward conversation, so they jogged on in silence. Once the sun was officially above the horizon, they headed back to the suite; making it there just in time to see Ivy unceremoniously wake Lucy up by tickling the poor Absol with her leafy tail. Suffice it to say Lucy wasn't the only one laughing hysterically.

After everyone was properly awake and groomed, Jack teleported them to Lily of the Valley Town for a hearty breakfast, and another brief visit to the beach. The match between Jack and Tobias was scheduled for early afternoon, so they made the most of the morning. They even ran into Maylene again, who was thinking along the same lines and joined them for lunch. It would almost certainly be their last day at Lily of the Valley Island, so the fun they had came with slight bitter-sweet undertones, but that didn't stop them from enjoying it.

"What are you going to do after the Sinnoh League is over?" Maylene asked Jack as they ate lunch at the same diner they'd visited last time.

Jack had to think about it for a second. "To be honest, I'm not sure. I suppose I might visit other regions, but I'm not sure if my funds would hold out; I'm getting a little short on cash. Although if I do win the League, that shouldn't be an issue…"

"What about your family?" Maylene asked. "Don't you want to go home and see them, and tell them all about your journey? Especially if you win the tournament?"

Jack kept his expression neutral, but on the inside he was scowling.

"I guess so…" Jack said, staring off into space. "What about you? What're you going to do after this is over?"

Maylene sighed and studied the table dejectedly.

"I don't really know either," she finally replied. "I was going to go back to Veilstone and keep on being the Gym Leader, but now I've got these new abilities… I'm not even sure if they'll let me be the Gym Leader any more when people find out."

"I'm sure it'll work out," Jack comforted her almost reflexively. "From what I hear, you're the best Gym Leader they've had at Veilstone in a long time; they wouldn't dare get rid of you over something like this."

"You're probably right," Maylene said gratefully. "Although if I am going to be continuing as Gym leader, I'm going to have to train a new team for gym battles," she chuckled at Jack's confusion. "The ones I used while you were training at the dojo with us are too strong now; especially Lucario. If I keep on using them, no one's going to be able to defeat us and get the Cobble Badge."

"That makes a certain amount of sense," Jack admitted. "It must be hard being a gym leader; it's practically your job to lose to trainers."

Maylene huffed in mock-indignation. "I'll have you know there's a lot more to a Gym Leader's job than just loosing. We're supposed to gauge challengers' strengths and weaknesses, and their relationship with their Pokémon; we're supposed to help them get stronger by giving them a goal to work towards, in preparation for competing in the Sinnoh League. And that's why I really don't want to have to give it up."

Jack scratched his chin thoughtfully. "Well, when you put it that way… Then again, if being a Gym Leader doesn't work out, I'm sure you'd be a cinch for the Elite Four; or maybe even the Sinnoh Champion."

Maylene chuckled. "Well that's awfully sweet of you to say, but I don't think so."

"What?" Jack protested. "I think you'd make a great Champion."

"You know what the Champion has to put up with on a daily basis?" Maylene asked. "You think a gym leader's job is demanding, the Champion has it even worse. I know Cynthia, the current Champion, personally; and she says that when she inherited the title, the previous Champion couldn't have been happier to let her have it. Everywhere she goes she always has at least a dozen cameras trained on her at once, and trainers lining up for miles just to have their Pokémon knocked out in one hit by her Garchomp."

"She's really that strong?" Jack asked.

Maylene nodded. "Yeah, every bit; she's been challenged dozens of times, but no one's even come close to defeating her. Anyone else would've let someone win by now, but Cynthia's too stubborn; she says that 'one day a worthy opponent will beat her in honourable combat, and only then will she happily relinquish up the title of champion.' She's such a romantic..."

Jack chuckled. "Sounds like you know her pretty well."

"Well enough to know that she doesn't enjoy being Champion," Maylene agreed. "She'd much rather go on a journey of her own; she always talks about travelling across Sinnoh again like she did in her trainer days. But like I said, she's too stubborn to give it up until she's found her 'trainer in shining armour'."

"How'd you meet her anyway?" Jack asked, wanting to hear more about Cynthia; she seemed like an interesting person.

"She's visited my Gym a few times," Maylene replied, "Mostly on business, making sure I had things well in hand; but she made a few social calls too, and we got to know each other pretty well. I still run into her every once in a while and we chat."

"She certainly seems like a nice person," Jack commented.

Maylene nodded. "She really is. She's way too nice to be saddled with a job like Champion, but I'm still not planning on taking it off her hands any time soon. If it came to that, I'd rather leave the region and travel with you."

"I'm not sure whether to be insulted or not…" Jack said with a chuckle.

"Sorry," Maylene apologised hastily. "That came out wrong…"

"It kinda did, yeah."

Jack and Maylene talked for a while longer before paying for their food and leaving; visiting the beach one more time, and having one last game of volleyball, before it was time to head back to the colosseum. When they got back, they parted ways; Maylene going to nab a front row seat, and Jack and his team going to spruce up before the battle.

And so, far sooner than any of them would have preferred, Jack and his team readied themselves for the last battle of the Sinnoh League. Little did they know of it's true significance; it was the last battle they would face together, before everything changed.

* * *

Jack: This cliffhanger brought to you by Francis.

Me: What's the big deal with cutting me off like that? You didn't let me tell them about...

Jack: This is your last chance to stop you know. Once you do this, there's no turning back. I just want to make sure you realize the implications of your actions here today, and their potential consequences.

Me: What's the worst that could happen?

Jack: *sighs* You just had to say it, didn't you.

Me: So, like I was going to say at the beginning of this chapter, before I was so rudely interrupted, we are introducing a new section to the Author's Corner at the beginning and/or end of each chapter. And that section is, drumroll please… Q&A's.

Jack: *Groans* This is not going to end well…

Me: Quiet, you. Anyway, from now on Jack and I are going to be personally answering any and all questions put to us in reviews or pm's; within moderation. You can ask us anything, anything at all, and we'll give you the closest thing we can to a straight answer. Spoilers are allowed, but not guaranteed.

Jack: And no, this is totally not a desperate cash-grab for reviews. *sarcasm*

Me: You really do enjoy divulging all my secrets, don't you. You should really remember who's the author here; I can make it so you wake up tomorrow wearing a frilly pink tu-tu.

Jack: I may be a lesser being, but I know your mother.

Me: Welp, see you guys in the next chapter. And remember, leave your questions and comments in the reviews, or send them to me in a PM; we'll even answer anonymous questions, so no login required. Now then; if you'll excuse me, I've got a few dimensional barriers to reinforce.


	17. Tobias: P1

Me: Just so you know, the chapter's late because I was so sick I could barely get out of bed. So deal with it.

Jack: He's still a little grouchy.

Me: I AM NOT GROUCHY!

Jack: ...

Me: Anyway, before we get started with the chapter, I'd just like to thank everyone for making the first Q&A such a resounding success. We've gotten no less than four questions in the time since we posted the last chapter, and we're going to answer all of them at the end of the chapter. And don't worry, the Q&A won't eclipse the chapter itself; we'll keep it short and sweet.

Jack: Do we really have to do this?

Me: Yes, and you'll like it.

Jack: Fat chance. Play the episode already…

* * *

Jack stepped into the arena with a determined expression; this was it, the last battle of the Sinnoh League. There was no way he was going to lose to Tobias, Darkrai or no Darkrai. They would be fighting on a dirt battlefield, studded with rocks; which suited Jack fine.

"I've heard a lot about you, Jack Storm," Tobias called from across the battlefield, his red waist-length cloak and long blue-grey hair waving slightly in the breeze. "It's fitting, in a way, that it came down to the two of us in the finals; seeing as this battle was inevitable from the moment the tournament began. I look forward to seeing if you're really as powerful as people say you are."

Jack nodded. "Same to you; personally, I look forward to seeing your other four Pokémon."

"You seem awfully confident," Tobias replied, "Considering most people don't get past my first."

Without another word, Tobias tossed a Pokéball onto the field; true to form, it was Darkrai. Now that he was seeing it up close, Jack could tell that it was definitely not the Darkrai he knew; this Darkrai just didn't radiate the same immense power as the real one. Knowing that took a weight off Jack's shoulders, and filled him with renewed confidence.

"Jason, you're up," Jack said with a grin.

[Jason (Lucario) Age: 19. Ability: Steadfast. Moves: Metal Claw, Counter, Force Palm, Aura Sphere, Bone Rush, Focus Punch, Close Combat, and Psychic.]

Jason appeared in the customary flash of white light and settled into a combat stance.

"Going with your most powerful Pokémon right off the bat as well," Tobias commented with a knowing smirk. "Probably hoping the type-advantage will help you, am I right?"

Jack shrugged. "You seem to have thought out my strategy almost as well as I did. Now then, let's get this started; Jason, Aura Sphere!"

Jason knew exactly what Jack wanted him to do; they'd used this strategy many times before. Instead of charging up one large Aura Sphere, Jason quickly formed a few dozen smaller ones and tossed them haphazardly into the middle of the arena, where they exploded and threw up a thick cloud of dust which rose well above their heads. Both Jack and Jason could rely on their aura vision, but Tobias and Darkrai would be effectively blinded.

Using the dust as cover, Jason closed in silently on his blinded opponent; planting his hind paws carefully, so as to avoid making any noise. As soon as he was within striking range of Darkrai, Jason abandoned stealth for lightning speed; scoring a clean hit with Metal Claw, and then disappearing back into the dust.

Darkrai quickly turned and fired an Ice Beam at Jason's retreating form, but the Lucario didn't stay in one place even for a second, and started running rings around Darkrai; the dust making him next impossible to hit. Jason dove in again, scoring another direct hit with Metal Claw and then retreating before he could be hit; at that point to dust was starting to settle, so Jason landed one more Metal Claw before backing away to a safe distance.

When the dust had cleared, Darkrai didn't show any signs of the damage it had taken; that either meant it was a very good actor, or that this battle would be a tough one.

Darkrai charged and launched a Dark Void attack at Jason, in the form of a pitch-black sphere of energy, but Jason avoided it with ease and charged at Darkrai with Bone Rush. Darkrai fired off another Ice Beam, forcing Jason to strafe to the right to avoid it. As Jason closed in, Darkrai started to back up.

Sensing an opening, Jason shot forward and covered the remaining distance between them in a heartbeat; lashing out with Bone Rush. However, Darkrai was ready for him and, a split second before Jason's attack hit, the Pitch Black Pokémon summoned a Dark Void sphere in front of it; Jason ran right into the attack, and a cocoon of dark purple energy encased him. From the trainer's box, Jack could feel Jason's consciousness slipping away as he fell into a deep sleep; his arms falling limply to his sides as he stood with a blank look on his face.

Jack gritted his teeth; this was what he'd tried to avoid. Darkrai closed in on Jason and put its two black, claw-like hands on either side of his head. Jack could practically feel Darkrai draining Jason's stamina with Dream Eater, and restoring its own in the process. He tried waking Jason up telepathically, but the Lucario wasn't responding; it was no normal sleep Jason was in, Dark Void's effects ran deep into his subconscious.

Darkrai continued its mental assault for several agonisingly long seconds, but then Jack felt Jason's mind stir slightly; Dark Void was wearing off, and a spark of consciousness was all Jack needed.

 _"WAKE UP!"_

Jason's eyes shot open, and he quickly assessed the situation; Darkrai was right in front of him giving him, quite simply, the perfect opening. Before Darkrai could react, Jason launched a devastating assault with Close Combat; landing hit after hit in one continuous stream. It was a testament to Darkrai's strength that it didn't go down then and there.

Jason finished up his technique with a staggering uppercut from the right, tossing Darkrai backwards like a ragdoll. The Pitch-Black Pokémon righted itself and hovered mid-air and, once again not showing any signs of pain from the hits it had taken, fired off another Dark Void. Jason saw it coming and avoided it easily, firing off an Aura Sphere in return which Darkrai countered with Dark Pulse.

Jack scowled; with Darkrai hovering in mid-air like that, Jason couldn't get close without becoming an easy target as soon as he left the ground. But if Jason didn't get in close, Darkrai would have the edge since Jason's only long-ranged move was Aura Sphere.

 _"Then again,"_ Jack thought, grinning suddenly, _"Now that I think about it, that's not really much of a disadvantage."_

Jason agreed heartily, and began charging up as many Aura Spheres as he could hold together at once; they floated around him like will-o-wisps, constantly getting bigger. Darkrai, not liking where this was headed, fired off a barrage of Ice Beams which Jason only narrowly avoided.

Darkrai kept on flinging Ice Beams at Jason in an attempt to forestall his technique, but Jason managed to stay one step ahead; mostly thanks to Jack's superhuman reaction speed and sense of timing, calling out directions at exactly the right moment for Jason to dodge the incoming attacks.

When Jason decided that he had enough Aura Spheres, nine of them in total and all of a decent size, he launched three of them like heat-seeking missiles at Darkrai. The floating Dark-type countered with Ice Beam and managed to destroy the first wave, but was unprepared when another three Aura Spheres came at it from a different angle.

The second three Aura Spheres scored direct hits on Darkrai, and so did the three that came after them. By the time Jason had unleashed all nine auric projectiles, the battlefield was covered by a cloud of smoke. Jack could sense Darkrai's aura, but he couldn't sense its mind; probably because it was a Dark-type. As such, he was forced to wait with bated breath until the smoke cleared.

When he finally caught a glimpse of Darkrai, Jack let out a deep sigh of relief. Darkrai was lying on the ground, unconscious.

The crowd understandably went berzerk; Jack had just taken down Tobias's Darkrai using only one Pokémon. Jack however saw little cause to celebrate; Jason had taken a bad hit from Darkrai's Dream Eater and, even if he didn't show it, he was still feeling a little unsteady from the attack. With that in mind, Jack decided to play it safe.

"Jason, return," he said, recalling Jason to his Pokéball. "Rest up, you'll get another chance."

As Tobias recalled his defeated Darkrai, Jack quickly did his customary slight-of-hand routine with the Pack; at this point he had it down-pat, and could switch Pokémon in less than five seconds total.

"I have to say," Tobias called from across the arena, "That was a very impressive manoeuvre you pulled off there with the Aura Spheres. I've been preparing for this fight for some time now, but you've still managed to catch me off-guard several times already; but I won't underestimate you again."

Jack shrugged. "Famous last words."

"True," Tobias replied with a smirk, "But we'll see how this plays out."

Without another word, Tobias sent out his second Pokémon; a Salamence, and a large one at that. It landed on the ground with a thud, and let out an ear-splitting roar. Jack didn't so much as flinch.

"Wendy, you're up!"

[Wendy (Gardevoir) Age: 17. Ability: Trace. Moves: Magical Leaf, Hypnosis, Psychic, Teleport, Light Screen, and Moonblast.]

Wendy appeared in a flash of white light, and immediately began to stare down her larger opponent. If she was at all intimidated by Salamence, she didn't show it.

"Using a Fairy-type against a Dragon-type," Tobias commented. "You really do like to use type-advantages, don't you."

Jack shrugged again. "Better to have it with me than against me."

Tobias grinned. "A wise philosophy, but let's see how far it gets you. Salamence, Flamethrower!"

Even before Tobias gave the order Salamence had drawn in a deep breath, and then it breathed out a white-hot stream of flames at Wendy who teleported out of the way not a second too late.

Wendy reappeared and hovered a few meters above Salamence, and began gathering ribbons of silver energy into her hand; not seeing the point of beating around the bush when she had an attack that could probably take Salamence down in one hit. But before she could fire the Moonblast, Salamence suddenly leapt off the ground straight at her with Double-Edge.

Wendy barely even had time to drop the half-formed Moonblast on Salamence's head, but the Dragon Pokémon ploughed through the unfocused blast of silver energy as if it wasn't there. Double-Edge hit Wendy like a ton of bricks and flung her across the arena like a ragdoll; although Salamence took significant recoil damage as well. Wendy hit the ground hard, but when the dust cleared she was still standing; and she seemed thoroughly ticked off.

"You'll pay for that," she said menacingly, holding her midriff where Double-Edge had hit. "No more Miss Nice-Guy."

Salamence didn't so much as bat an eyebrow, but both Tobias and Jack flinched slightly at the intensity of her gaze. Wendy was an intimidating figure when she was angry, especially as a Gardevoir. Of course that may just have been her ability, Trace, copying Salamence's ability; which Jack would've bet any money was Intimidate.

But whether Wendy's frightening demeanor was the result of an ability switch or not, her desire to beat Salamence black and blue wasn't. Before the Dragon/Flying-type could even register what was happening, Wendy flicked it into the ground with a powerful Psychic attack.

Salamence got up without so much as a groan of exertion, but it found itself looking into a pair of beautiful ruby-red eyes. A second later, Wendy's Hypnosis had the Dragon Pokémon sleeping like a rock.

While her opponent was asleep, Wendy took a brief moment to catch her breath; Salamence's Double-Edge had done serious damage. Fortunately, that also meant that Salamence had taken a lot of damage from the recoil.

Once Wendy had caught her second wind, she started powering up another Moonblast; gathering as much energy as she could, and focusing it as much as possible. The orb of silver energy was glowing brighter than the moon itself before Wendy was happy with it. With a confident smirk, she held out her hand and fired. The Moonblast crossed the arena in a heartbeat, and scored a direct hit on Salamence's sleeping form; on impact it exploded into a nimbus of silver energy which completely engulfed Tobias's side of the arena, forcing the blast shield to rise up around him.

Wendy turned confidently to Jack. "Well, how was that?" she asked with a grin.

"That… was pretty impressive, I'll be honest," Jack said, slightly shell-shocked; Wendy was turning out to be even more of a powerhouse than he thought.

 _"Jason had better watch out,"_ Jack mused. _"Or Wendy might just take his spot as our heavy-hitter."_

Jack scanned the battlefield to see if Salamence was still conscious or not, although he didn't see how it could be after that. But although he could still sense Salamence's aura, he couldn't find its mind no matter how hard he looked.

Jack furrowed his brow; Darkrai he understood, but Salamence wasn't a Dark-type. There was something strange going on…

Jack's eyes widened as he felt Salamence's aura move.

"Wendy, MOVE!" he shouted, a split second too late.

Salamence shot out of the silver cloud like a vengeful torpedo; Wendy turned around just in time to see Salamence crash into her with Shadow Claw, scoring a clean hit. Wendy was flung backwards by the hit, and bounced a few times on the ground before coming to a stop. When the dust cleared, she was unconscious.

Jack stared blankly at Wendy, then at Salamence who, although it was covered with burns and bruises, didn't look like it even felt them.

"It's not possible," Jack muttered incredulously to himself. "It's… just not possible."

"Says the boy who defeated the Legendary Bird Trio with his bare hands," Tobias said. "I thought you would've known this, but nothing's impossible; some things are just less likely than others."

Jack shut his mouth with a snap, and fixed his eyes on the trainer standing opposite him.

"Wendy, return. You were amazing," he said softly. "Don't worry, we're going to win this for you."

Jack did another quick switch, and withdrew his third Pokémon.

"Solomon, you're up!"

[Solomon (Kadabra) Age: 18. Ability: Magic Guard. Moves: Teleport, Shadow Ball, Psychic, Sleep Talk, Flamethrower, Thunderbolt, and Ice Beam.]

Solomon appeared a few feet above the ground and hovered there, looking Salamence over from head to tail. It had obviously taken a lot of damage, but you wouldn't know it from the way it stood.

"I can take it," Solomon assured Jack. "Easily."

Jack nodded. "I certainly hope so. Remember, that thing took down Wendy with two hits; so be careful."

As soon as the round started, Solomon flicked himself higher into the air to avoid the attack he knew was coming. And come it did; Salamence opened its mouth and fired a beam of purple energy, a Dragon Breath attack, at the spot where Solomon had been about half a second ago.

Salamence looked up to follow Solomon's movements, and was hit full in the face by Shadow Ball. Salamence roared, in annoyance rather than pain, and launched itself into the air after Solomon; readying another Shadow Claw. It barely made it five feet before Solomon disappeared. Salamence looked around for a second without finding Solomon, before it heard a whistle from directly above it.

Salamence looked up, and was once again hit directly in the head; this time though, by a powerful Ice Beam. Before Salamence could even react, it was frozen solid inside a chunk of ice which then plummeted to the ground. The giant chunk of ice shattered on impact with the ground, releasing an unconscious Salamence.

"Well," Jack commented to Solomon. "You certainly made that look easy…"

Solomon floated back down to ground level and smiled slightly. "Well, both Dragon and Flying-types are weak to Ice; and it was already on its last legs as well."

"Well, Mr. Storm," Tobias said, drawing Jack's attention back to him, "You've officially surpassed the record; you've beaten two of my Pokémon with three of your own. I find that impressive in and of itself."

"Save being impressed for later," Jack replied. "I'm not nearly finished yet."

"Fair enough," Tobias said, pulling out another Pokéball. "I'm interested to see how much farther you can get."

Tobias tossed his third Pokéball onto the battlefield, and white light started flowing out of it in a stream about twice as wide as Jack's waist. But as Jack looked on, wondering what kind of Pokémon it was, the light just kept on coiling upwards; ten, twenty, thirty feet it rose into the sky. Then, to Jack's amazement, the light dissipated to reveal a gigantic green serpent; a Pokémon spoken of only in legends. Rayquaza.

Jack stared at the Legendary Pokémon of the sky with awe, and then at Tobias.

 _"Who is this guy?"_ Jack asked himself incredulously. _"Even if there is more than one Rayquaza, how on Earth did he catch one?"_

Then, a thought occurred to him; an itch that refused to be scratched. He sent a mental probe up to Rayquaza's towering form but, although he could sense an immense amount of aura, he couldn't sense Rayquaza's mind; just like with Darkrai and Salamence.

"It just doesn't make any sense…" Jack muttered, before turning to Solomon. "Alright, get ready; this isn't going to be easy."

Solomon nodded. "You don't need to tell me twice."

As soon as the round started, Solomon began teleporting erratically; firing Ice Beams at Rayquaza from every conceivable angle. Rayquaza barely moved, and just let itself be attacked. Parts of its body got completely frozen over, but it didn't so much as flinch; or show any signs of pain whatsoever.

Jack gritted his teeth; this was not good, Solomon was just tiring himself out at this point. And he imagined that Rayquaza wouldn't stay docile for much longer. Just then, Solomon reappeared in front of him looking decidedly out of breath.

"It's no good," Solomon said, breathing heavily. "My attacks are doing nothing to it."

"Try Shadow Ball," Jack replied. "You might be able to decrease its special defense."

Solomon nodded and teleported away again, reappearing several meters above the ground. He started gathering a sphere of black energy in his hand, but then Rayquaza started to move; the ice from Solomon's attacks shattered like so much sugar glass and fell to the ground as Rayquaza's lower body started to glow with energy.

With a speed that seemed almost impossible for such a large creature, Rayquaza suddenly twisted its body around and lashed out with a vicious Iron Tail at Solomon; who just barely teleported away in time.

Solomon reappeared on the other side of Rayquaza and started charging up another Shadow Ball, but Rayquaza twisted around and lashed out with Iron Tail again. Once again, Solomon only barely managed to Teleport away in time; but he couldn't keep up that pace for long.

Rayquaza tried Iron Tail one more time, and Solomon avoided it with Teleport again; but this time Rayquaza didn't wait for Solomon to reappear. Almost as if it could sense where Solomon was going to Teleport, Rayquaza swung its tail around behind it. A split second later, Solomon popped back into existence right in the path of Rayquaza's tail.

With no time to do anything, Jack watched helplessly as Solomon was smacked out of the air by Iron Tail and crashed into the ground. When the dust cleared, Solomon was out for the count.

* * *

Me: And yes, I was intending to make this chapter a lot longer; except I ran into a roadblock and, since the chapter was dead late already, I decided to just clip it short and upload it as soon as possible.

Jack: That was probably a wise move.

Me: Thanks. Anyway, time for the first Q best behavior everybody. I'm looking at you Jack.

Jack: *grumbles*

Me: Alright then, let's begin.

 **Cabob1021: So, I'm feeling evil, Jack and Jason, what's the most embarrassing thing that's ever happened to both of you? :)**

Jack: Really? First question, right out of the starting gate, and we get this?

Me: For me, probably that time Jack locked me in a closet and did the Author's Notes without me. What about you Jack?

Jack: This Q&A…

Me: Shut up.

 **GameManiac: How did you get into Pokémon?**

Jack: I didn't have much choice, now did I.

Me: Don't be like that. As for me, I watched a little of the Hoenn Anime when I was little; but I grew out of it fairly quickly. But then when I grew up I started seeing Pokémon everywhere, and I remembered how much fun I used to have watching the show; so I went back and started watching the Sinnoh series, and from then on I was officially hooked. And the rest, as they say, is history.

 **Anonymous silhouette: Is Paul going to show up again?**

Me: And finally we get into Spoiler territory.

Jack: You can't say you didn't know it was coming.

Me: True, true. Anyway, to answer your question… I'm really not sure at this point. I haven't specifically planned for Paul to make another appearance, but it's certainly a possibility. I can't promise anything though; and it won't be any time soon, that much I can tell you

 **Anonymous silhouette: Why are you such a noob (you asked for it)**

Jack: No, you asked for it.

Me: Now now, let's not get hostile. Even though I know for a fact that this question came courtesy of my little brother.

Jack: You know, that sentence doesn't even have a question mark at the end. So are we sure it's actually a question?

Me: Hmm… my Grammar Nazi side agrees with you. We are disregarding this comment due to lack of punctuation.

Jack: At least I now know you can be reasoned with.

Me: And that's the last of the questions. So, was it really so bad?

Jack: I guess not…

Me: Anyway, we'll see you all in the next chapter; and remember if you have any questions for me and Jack, don't be afraid to ask.


	18. Tobias: P2

Me: Yeah, I know. Late again. In my defence, this virus still hasn't gone away; it's been a thorn in my side for almost three weeks now. It has made it almost impossible to focus on anything, especially something as mentally demanding as writing.

Jack: Just don't get too close to me; I don't want to catch it, whatever it is.

Me: Anyway, we got a surprising amount of feedback for the Q&A last chapter; so much so that I've decided to do another one this chapter, although I was originally intending to wait a while.

Jack: Wait, you mean we won't be doing one every chapter?

Me: Well, no. I was anticipating having to wait a few chapters between Q&A's to let the questions pile up a bit. But since we got a handful of questions on the last chapter alone, I figured we might as well answer them now. No point in making people wait any longer than they already have to. Plus, we've got a couple of good ones lined up for today. I'm sure you're excited for that.

Jack: *deadpan* Ecstatic.

Me: Careful, you're getting the floor wet with all that sarcasm dripping off you.

* * *

Jack scowled as he recalled Solomon to his Pokéball. The battle was spiraling out of his control, and he didn't like it. Now with Wendy and Solomon both down, and Jason still recovering, his team had lost the majority of its firepower. Thomas would stand no chance against Rayquaza, and Ivy's attacks would be all but useless against a Flying/Dragon-type.

"And that's the problem with glass cannons," Tobias said, snapping Jack out of his thoughts. "They're easily smashed. I'm afraid that such inflexible tactics won't be enough to defeat Rayquaza."

Jack clenched his fist. Tobias was right, he needed to change things up. Unfortunately, what he had in mind was pretty risky. There were a lot of 'if's involved, and if even one thing went wrong the whole plan would fall apart; and he'd look like an idiot to top it all off. Even so, right then it was the best option available to him. And he had no doubt that it would work.

"Alright then," Jack said, "Have it your way. Cap, you're up!"

[Cap (Breloom) Age: 23. Ability: Effect Spore. Moves: Energy Ball, Drain Punch, Mach Punch, Zen Headbutt, Protect, Low Sweep, and Bide.]

Tobias seemed confused for a second, but then he nodded. "I see, you're trying to buy your Lucario enough time to recover."

Jack grinned. "Actually, no. Cap here is my secret weapon. He's going to take down your Rayquaza in one hit."

Cap froze in place and turned to look at Jack.

"I… I am?" The Breloom asked nervously.

"Yes," Jack replied, doing his best to convey a confidence he didn't feel. "You are."

"Is that so," Tobias replied with a chuckle. "In that case I'll just have to defeat him quickly. Rayquaza, use Draco Meteor!"

Jack's eyes widened in surprise, and then narrowed again as his grin disappeared. Draco Meteor… At this point his plan would either work beautifully, or fail miserably. It was all up to Cap.

"Cap, stand strong," Jack said calmly.

Cap's eyes widened, but he nodded and looked up at Rayquaza with no small amount of trepidation. 'Stand strong' was a code word they'd developed to use in their gym battle against Volkner, to avoid him knowing what they were about to do. Even though they'd only used it once, Cap remembered what it meant. Use Bide.

Above him, Rayquaza's throat started to glow bright orange. The glow then rose into its mouth, forming a fiery orb which Rayquaza then spat upward into the sky. The orb, probably about the size of a large car, rose a good ways into the air before shattering into about half a dozen smaller fireballs which were closer to the size of a human.

These meteors picked up speed and power as they plummeted towards the ground, their velocity distending them until they looked like giant fiery raindrops of death. But even in the face of this barrage, Cap didn't so much as flinch. The Draco Meteors fell all around him, the explosions battering Cap's mushroom-like body over and over. The attack was so intense, both Jack's and Tobias's blast shields went up.

 _"Come on Cap… you can do it…"_ Jack desperately tried to convince himself; he was starting to regret roping Cap into such a risky gamble.

By the time the last of the meteors had fallen, the entire battlefield was obscured by a cloud of dust and smoke. The entire arena seemed to hold its breath in suspense. Jack peered desperately into the dust cloud with his aura vision, and it only took him a second to spot Cap.

As the dust and smoke gradually cleared, Jack spotted a familiar green mushroom standing tall and proud. The crowd went wild as Cap's form was revealed, glowing red from the effects of Bide. He glanced back at Jack and gave him a reassuring nod; Cap was just fine, and ready for his counter-attack.

"Bide…" Tobias muttered grimly. "Rayquaza, use Iron Tail!"

A look of panic briefly crossed Jack's face; would Cap be able to take another hit? But Cap didn't seem at all concerned about the incoming attack, so Jack decided to give him the benefit of the doubt.

Rayquaza's tail glowed white, and it spun in midair to lend more momentum to the hit before bringing its enormous tail down on Cap's head like a ton of bricks. For one agonisingly long moment, the arena was silent. Then, red light began to spill out from underneath Rayquaza's tail.

Suddenly, Rayquaza's tail was blasted upwards by a shaft of pure white light; the acceleration was so fast, it looked like a giant invisible hand had grabbed Rayquaza's tail and yanked it upward.

Now that Rayquaza's tail had been removed, Jack could see that Cap was enveloped in a fierce red light; through which the white light of his attack briefly cut like a hot knife through butter. However, his real target wasn't Rayquaza's tail and he didn't maintain the beam for long. Instead, he turned and aimed for something a little more sensitive.

Before Rayquaza could even think about dodging, Cap fired off another beam of energy; this time pouring all his stored power into the attack. It was so bright Jack could barely look at it, and the noise it made was like someone had broken the sound barrier; and Jack had plenty of experience with that.

The beam of light slammed into the side of Rayquaza's head with so much force, Jack could feel the shockwave. The blast knocked Rayquaza clean out of the sky, and sent it plummeting to the ground in a heap; out cold. The crowd went absolutely berserk.

Jack was, quite frankly, at a loss for words. He'd said Cap would take Rayquaza down in one hit, but now that it had actually happened, he could barely comprehend it. But he soon snapped out of it as, unable to muster the strength to stand, Cap's legs gave out underneath him and the valiant Mushroom Pokémon crumpled to the floor.

Jack moved at lightning speed, and managed to catch Cap before he could hit the ground. The Breloom was completely spent after enduring those two unbelievably powerful attacks; only sheer willpower had kept him conscious long enough to unleash Bide's backlash.

"Was… was it enough?" Cap asked in barely more than a whisper.

Jack nodded. "You were amazing Cap. Because of you, we're going to win this. You've earned a good long rest."

"Th-thank you," Cap croaked, closing his eyes and going limp in Jack's arms; he wouldn't be fighting any more that day.

Jack always got a feeling in the pit of his stomach whenever one of his team got knocked out in battle, but sometimes it was worse than usual. This was one of those times. As Jack recalled Cap to his Pokéball, his heart felt like someone was squeezing it. He walked back to the trainer's box and turned to Tobias with renewed determination; he was no longer fighting just for the sake of it.

 _"I'll win this. For Cap, for Solomon, for Wendy, I will win this."_

But the battle only went downhill from there.

"Well done Jack," Tobias said, surprise evident in his tone, "You've managed to catch me by surprise yet again."

Jack nodded. "You might as well get used to it, because I don't plan on stopping."

Tobias chuckled. "I see you've gotten your confidence back. I wonder how long it will last though..." The older trainer pulled out another Pokéball. "What if I told you my next Pokémon was even more powerful than Rayquaza?

"Whatever you've got, bring it on," Jack goaded. "You're just bluffing; I'll bet Rayquaza was your most powerful Pokémon, and you're just trying to make me nervous."

Or so he tried to convince himself.

Tobias grinned; a small grin, but somehow it was far more sinister than all the maniacal laughter in the world could have been.

"Let's go," he said, tossing the Pokéball onto the field, "Giratina!"

And with that, any confidence Jack had went out the window. If the legends about Rayquaza's power were true, then it was safe to assume that the legends about Giratina were also accurate. Tobias hadn't been bluffing.

Giratina materialize in the traditional flash of red light, and let out a roar that sounded like it came straight from the underworld. Giratina was enormous; not quite as long as Rayquaza, but thicker around. It stood on six powerful-looking legs, and shadowy wings protruded from its back. All in all, it was a thoroughly intimidating sight; made even more so by the lore behind it. The very air in the arena seemed to drop a few degrees, and the audience was for once completely silent; not a single sound broke the silence.

Jack gritted his teeth. He wasn't about to give up, although he would have to be especially careful. The trouble was, everyone on his team who could have posed a real threat to Giratina were already in no condition to fight. Ivy's moves would be ineffective, Aura's best attack, Extremespeed, would have no effect at all, and Thomas once again simply wasn't powerful enough.

Maybe Katana could pull it off with Shadow Claw, but frankly he didn't like her odds. Then again, at least Giratina couldn't fly in its altered form. He hoped.

"Alright," Jack said, "Katana, you're up!"

[Katana (Scyther) Age: 22. Ability: Technician. Moves: Fury Cutter, Agility, Quick Attack, Fly, Fake Out, Shadow Claw, and Air Slash.]

Katana appeared in a flash of red light, and immediately sized up her opponent.

"You know," she commented wryly, "I really hate ghosts."

As soon as the round started, Katana was off like a shot with Shadow Claw. But before she could land a hit, Giratina disappeared. It didn't just move, it almost seemed to melt into shadows. Katana came to a quick stop and looked around, but there was no sign of the giant dragon.

Suddenly, Katana's instincts kicked in and launched her into the air; but not quite fast enough to avoid the inky black force that sprang up behind her. Giratina's Shadow Force technique swatted Katana out of the air, and knocked her into the ground so hard it formed a small crater.

Katana tried to stand, but the Renegade Pokémon emerged from the shadows right in front of her and used Dragon Pulse. The sphere of purple energy hit hard, and the explosion raised a cloud of dust. When the smoke cleared, Katana was out for the count.

Jack could barely comprehend what had just happened, it had all happened so quickly. As he stared at Katana's unconscious form, it gradually dawned on him that it had taken Giratina all of ten seconds to end the fight; and even Katana's hair-trigger instincts hadn't been fast enough to save her. Maybe he could have beat it himself, maybe, but his team stood no chance. No chance at all.

"I forfeit the match," he heard himself say, although it was like he was hearing his own voice from a distance. He couldn't concentrate on anything other than the fact that he and his team had been beaten; soundly, and completely. Giratina was easily powerful enough to take out his whole team single-handedly. Tobias had just been toying with him.

Jack recalled Katana to her Pokéball, but he wasn't really attending to his surroundings. He might easily have kept standing there for quite some time, like a statue, if Tobias hadn't walked over to him.

Jack was snapped out of his shock when Tobias held out his hand to him, as if to shake.

"You fought well," the older trainer said, almost apologetically. "You might just be the strongest opponent I've ever faced."

Jack took Tobias's hand and shook it solemnly. "Thank you for the kind words, but you had us completely outclassed the whole time. You were just toying with us, weren't you."

Tobias shrugged. "Well, I wanted to see exactly how powerful your team was. If I had sent out my most powerful Pokémon first, I wouldn't have been able to get an accurate picture of your strength. I was somewhat surprised by you forfeiting the match though. Most trainers would have chosen to fight until the bitter end, so why didn't you?"

Jack sighed. "None of my team could have defeated your Giratina. I couldn't let them get hurt for the sake of my own pride."

Tobias nodded thoughtfully. "You never cease to amaze me," he muttered to himself.

Tobias then bent down slightly and whispered something in Jack's ear.

"Meet me tonight at ten o'clock, behind the stadium on the South side," the older trainer whispered, but his voice sounded slightly different. "We can talk more freely then."

Without another word, Tobias turned around and walked out of the arena; leaving Jack dazed and confused. Tobias wanted to meet him behind the stadium tonight? Why? And why had his voice sounded so strange when he whispered… Then he got it. He'd gotten so used to switching between them that he hadn't realized at first.

When Tobias whispered to him, he was talking in Pokéspeak.

* * *

Jack: And thus did the cliffhangers continue…

Me: Try not to get too hung up over it.

Jack: I hate you.

Me: I love you too. Anyway, it's time for the second Q&A. And like I said, we've got a couple of good ones today.

 **Anonymous silhouette: Are Tobias's 5th and 6th Pokémon going to be legendery's?**

Me: The world may never know…

Jack: On the other hand, knowing that Tobias is really [classified], I'd say his last two Pokémon are probably [classified]. Of course, I could be [classified]...

Me: Oh, I'm going to have so much fun editing that sentence. *chuckles ominously*

Jack: Could you not do that?

Me: Sorry. Anyway, this next one is for you.

 **Krominicon: When do you intend on visiting your parents? Your adoptive parents that is.**

Jack: …

Me: What is it?

Jack: Nothing. I just feel like I've seen that guy somewhere before…

Me: You know what'll happen? It'll come to you in the shower tonight.

Jack: Probably. As for the question itself, I really don't know when I'll be able to go home; but unless this joker has something up his sleeve he isn't telling me, I don't think it'll be any time soon.

Me: I'm not saying a word. Not one single word.

 **Matthais Unidostres: I'm not sure if I ever directly asked you this before, but what do you have planned for Lucy's family?**

Me: *grins maliciously* Well… I was planning on having [classified] find [classified] when he [classified] after [classified]. So yeah, I'd say my plans are [classified].

Jack: You look like you're having fun.

Me: Is it that obvious?

Jack: You should see your face right now, that grin is so creepy it could curdle milk. You look like the Joker… or that ninja guy from One Punch Man.

Me: Sorry, I'll stop. But speaking of ninjas...

 **DragonNiro: Pirates or ninjas?**

Me: On three. Ready? One… two… three!

Jack & Me: Ninjas.

Jack: Wow, did we actually just agree on something?

Me: Looks like the impossible can happen.

Jack: I don't know, the universe might still implode…

Me: ...

Me: And on that bombshell, see you guys in the next chapter.


	19. Peculiar developments

*Lé me looking at story stats*

Reviews | 109

Me: Huh, I guess it's about time for a milestone chapter.

Seriously, I can't thank you guys enough for all the support you've been giving part two of the Rising Storm saga. (And yes, I'm going with 'saga'. Shut up Jack) This story is less than a year old, and has less than half as many chapters as its predecessor, but already it's doing just as well if not better than Book 1 did during its first year.

One thing I do want to address however (and feel free to skip this bit and go straight to the chapter if you want) is the number of people who have actually 'followed' book two at this point; 39. Not a bad number; and you thirty-nine, you can go ahead and pat yourselves on the back. However, I'm pretty sure that those thirty-nine people aren't the only ones reading this story.

Now, don't get me wrong; I'm not in this for stats. I like to think I've gotten past the point where I completely lose my mind over every little milestone.

Jack: Yeah, now he only partially loses it.

Me: Shut up.

Still, I realized one day that I have no idea at all how many people are actually reading my story and, hopefully, getting some entertainment from it. Which is all I really wanted to do in the first place; entertain people.

Once again, I'm not hungry for better story stats. I can't stress it enough, I'm not just after numbers on a screen. I'm just curious. I want to know how many people my words are actually reaching. Maybe I'm even a little nervous about the responsibility which comes with that.

If you're reading my story and intend to continue reading it, and if you have an account on this site already (I'm not, repeat **_NOT_** , here to pressure you into getting one if you don't), please consider clicking that little follow/fav button at the top of the page. Not only will you be automatically alerted when a new chapter comes out (every month or so... T_T ), but you'll be letting me know you care about what I'm doing here in my little corner of the interwebs. And if you've read this far, you can go ahead and pat yourselves on the back again; because you're awesome. With that out of the way, and before Jack says something annoying...

Jack: *grumble*

Me: ...enjoy the chapter. Oh, also this chapter is going to be a bit of a test for you guys; to see how well you remember Book 1, among other things. You'll see what I mean. *cackles maniacally*

* * *

Jack sat on the sofa and stared numbly at the clock. It was just past nine thirty, almost time for him to go meet Tobias. After the battle, he'd initially been almost boiling over with anger which he'd only barely managed to restrain.

The rest of the evening had passed by in a blur for Jack. He was still struggling to come to grips with the fact that Tobias had given him, to put it bluntly, a sound thrashing. He couldn't accept the fact that he'd let Jason, Cap, Solomon, Wendy, and Katana get beat up for nothing. Solomon had taken so much damage from Rayquaza's Iron Tail that Nurse Joy had transferred him into the emergency ward just to be safe; it was going to take days for him to fully recover. It made him furious.

He knew none of them blamed him, in fact they probably all blamed themselves. Even so, Jack knew that it was his actions which had ultimately led to this. At the end of the day the only reason any of this happened was because he insisted on entering the tournament; and for what, to draw out his stalker? Was that his excuse? To be honest, that plan was looking a lot more shaky in retrospect.

What had really riled up his emotions however, was all of that wasn't the first thing that crossed his mind. In that moment when he surrendered, even as he said the words, he had been trying to find a way to win. He didn't know why he said them, but if he hadn't he was sure he would've kept fighting no matter the cost. He thanked his lucky stars that, for whatever reason, those words had come out of his mouth when they did; because his next Pokémon would probably have been Lucy.

"Jason was right," he muttered to himself. "Why did I care so much about winning the Sinnoh League? And why why do I care so much that I lost..."

Maybe, he thought, what he said to Tobias earlier that day was more true than he'd realized.

"My own pride…"

It was that thought, that horrible thought, which had kept his anger burning. Jack hated losing, and he was mad at Tobias for beating him, but the full force of his anger was focussed at himself for letting it become that important to him. He couldn't stand the thought that his pride had almost become more important to him than his friends.

At this point though, his anger had burned down to nothing more than smoldering embers leaving him cold and exhausted; both physically and emotionally. He just wanted to crawl into bed and go to sleep, like most of his team had already done. Tomorrow would be a new day, and he'd move on with his life as if the tournament had never happened.

At any rate, this was the last night his room had been reserved for so he wouldn't have much choice. Maybe being back on the road just like old times would be good for him. Before that happened though, there was one last thing he had to do. His curiosity, a trait which usually caused him no end of trouble, demanded it.

With no more sound than a rush of air, Jack vanished from the room and reappeared outside the arena; on the South side. No more than a stone's throw away from the arena wall there was a solid row of trees which marked the edge of a dense forest; one of the few wild places left on the island. Between it and the colosseum there were only a few trees scattered here and there.

The night air was crisp and clear, and a few deep breaths did a lot to help him gather his thoughts. The crescent moon overhead was currently obscured by a thin veil of clouds which allowed only thin beams of silvery light to pass, giving everything an eerie, ethereal look to it. Jack half expected fey creatures to begin peeking out from behind the trees.

Then from out of the darkness of the woods stepped Tobias, his long blue-grey hair blowing in the breeze like a wisp of shadow. He strode towards Jack with an air of determination, as if the older trainer was steeling himself for the confrontation.

"So," Tobias said, "You came."

"Call it the curiosity that killed the cat," Jack replied, slightly on edge and not sure what to expect. "You got my attention with that Pokéspeach trick, so what did you want to tell me?"

Tobias folded his arms. "This isn't about what I want to tell you, I merely feel I owe you an explanation for everything that's happened. First of all, I should probably mention that this isn't the first time we've met."

Jack frowned. "I'm sure I'd remember someone like you, unless…"

"You haven't forgotten," Tobias assured him. "I used a different name back then, not to mention a different face."

Before Jack could comment, Tobias's form began to blur and shift; as though he were looking at it through a film of water. He watched, dumbfounded, as the older trainer's hair darkened to an inky black and his eyes turned a deep, piercing blue. His clothes also changed; his light brown trousers and tunic turning black with gold highlights, and his red waist-length cape elongating into a midnight blue cloak embroidered with mystical-looking gold and silver whorls. The trainer's face also narrowed slightly, his cheekbones becoming slightly more pronounced, and his now-black hair shortening and combing itself backwards away from his face. Even before the man spoke, Jack knew exactly who he was.

"You probably know me better as Omar the Mage."

As Jack stared at Tobias, or Omar, he wasn't really sure anymore, the pieces started snapping into place in his mind. Sure enough when he opened his mind, something he hadn't done in a long time due to amount of mental noise in an area as crowded as this, he felt Omar's aura of power flowing around him. The magician was every bit as powerful now as he was the first time Jack met him, but this time Jack didn't find Omar's power overwhelming; it didn't weigh down on his mind anymore. Even so, Jack still found himself slightly intimidated by the man standing in front of him.

Jack searched for something to say, but no words came out of his mouth. He was utterly speechless, but his mind was racing at a hundred miles an hour trying to comprehend the ramifications of this new development.

"You… I…" he stuttered, unable to form a coherent thought.

"Yes, I know," Omar sighed, "It's a lot to take in. I probably shouldn't have sprung it on you so suddenly, but I couldn't think of what else to do."

"But… how are you here? Why are you here?"

Omar sighed again. "That… is a long story. To make it short, I've been tracking you for quite some time now. You intrigued me, and I wanted to keep an eye on you. Shortly after we met at that carnival, I left on extended leave to start a trainer's journey of my own under the name of Tobias; with Darkrai as my main Pokémon. My plan was to enter the Sinnoh League as well, and use it as an excuse to study you and eventually meet up with you again. Which is exactly what happened. Do you have any questions?"

"More than I can ask…" Jack muttered. "I guess to start off, how did you capture Darkrai and so many other powerful Pokémon?"

Omar scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "Well… to be honest, I didn't. My Pokémon were actually just shadow dummies I conjured up. I had absolute control over them, and I used my own powers to make everything feel as real as it looked. Basically, they were as strong as I wanted them to be."

Jack's jaw dropped.

"Yeah, I know," Tobias chuckled ruefully, "Kinda underhanded…"

"Kinda…" Jack muttered incredulously, "I'm pretty sure that breaks just about every rule the Sinnoh League has…"

"Well what else was I supposed to do?" Omar said, holding up his hands defensively. "I had no Pokémon, no experience at being a trainer, and at most a few months to beat all eight gym leader and become strong enough to compete in the Sinnoh League. It really was my only option."

"So what," Jack countered, "You just breeze in and cheat your way to the top? What was the point of that?"

Omar sighed again. "That wasn't my original intent. I was only going to keep up my charade of invincibility until I was matched up with you, at which point I planned on throwing the match at the last minute."

"If that was your plan, it sure didn't seem that way to me," Jack said pointedly.

"I had to make it look good, or people would get suspicious," Omar countered. "But then you went and surrendered before the finale. To be honest, I probably should've seen that coming…"

Jack stared at the mage for a second, then burst out in uncontrollable laughter at his own idiocy. He'd been beating himself up for surrendering, thereby making everything they'd gone through up to that point meaningless. If Omar's shadow puppets really were unbeatable however, then the battle was meaningless from the beginning; just another performance by Omar, in which Jack and his team were the clueless assistants. It was both comforting and hilarious, in a way, to know that he had been within a hair's breadth of winning the Sinnoh League. Even so, he knew he'd made the right choice by surrendering; and so he laughed.

"What's so funny?" Omar demanded.

"Oh, nothing really," Jack said once the laughter had subsided a little. "Just getting something out of my system."

"Was that your only question?" the mage asked.

Jack shook his head. "No, but I think I'll need a moment before I'm ready for any more earth-shattering revelations…" he thought for a moment. "Actually, here's something I'd like to know. Why did you pick the name Tobias when you became a trainer?"

Omar shrugged. "I just picked it out of thin air pretty much. It doesn't have any particular significance to me, if that's what you're asking."

"Okay," Jack nodded. "I was just wondering because I knew a Gallade by that name once. I guess I wanted to know if you'd ever met him."

Omar shook his head. "No, can't say I have."

"Okay then," Jack said, leaning his back against a tree. "Okay, here's one I'd really like to have answered. If your Pokémon were just some sort of illusion or something, then that explains why I couldn't sense their minds. But then why could I sense their auras?"

Omar's eyebrows went up at this. "You could sense their auras? That is interesting indeed."

Jack furrowed his brow. "You mean you didn't know?"

"No, I didn't," Omar replied, shaking his head. "I can do many things, but I have no talent for sensing aura. Although I do wonder… Can you see my aura right now?"

Jack nodded.

"Okay then," Omar said, raising his right hand. "Watch closely, and see if you can spot anything unusual."

With that, Omar waved his hand and Darkrai appeared beside him. There was no flash, no rush of wind, it was simply there. Jack knew it wasn't real, but he still took an involuntary step backward. Then he realized what had happened.

"It's your aura," Jack exclaimed. "That's what I was sensing. When you create these… whatever they are, it looks like a little of your aura goes into them."

Omar nodded and let the illusion of Darkrai fade. "That actually makes a lot of sense, now that I think about it. I'll have to look into that further. In the meantime, aren't you going to ask how I know Pokéspeak? After all, that's what brought you here wasn't it?"

"Yeah, but that makes sense now that I know it was you," Jack replied. "We're the same, so I guess it makes sense that you'd.."

"Didn't you listen to a word I said last time we met?" Omar interrupted him. "I'm sorry to tell you this, but the only thing we have in common is the nature of our powers. Aside from that, we might as well be day and night."

"You mean, you weren't raised by Pokémon?" Jack asked, somewhat confused.

"Actually, that much about us is the same I suppose," Omar said, folding his arms. "The main difference is that I'm not human."

Jack blinked, his mind temporarily unable to process what he'd just heard. Then the pieces started to snap together.

"You mean…"

"Yes, this body is as much an illusion as Tobias's was," Omar said with a smirk. "My real one is a lot more handsome."

Omar's form shifted once again, but this time it was different. There was no blurry in-between stage, it was more like a curtain dropping to reveal what was behind. It was something the likes of which Jack had never seen before; a bipedal, fox-like creature with grey fur covering most of its body, thicker black fur on its chest, and three blood-red claws on its front and hind paws. It also had a red mane which flowed like a waterfall down its back, and was fastened near the bottom by a ring made of what looked like some blue gemstone. What Jack immediately noticed however was that its eyes had stayed the same piercing blue colour.

Jack mouth opened and closed a few times before he finally managed to force a few words out.

"What… are you?"

"I," Omar said, puffing out his now fur-covered chest, "Am a Zoroark; Master of Illusions! You may have heard of us, a proud race revered for our ability to create illusions at will."

"Never heard of them."

Omar snorted. "Fine then, be like that. At any rate, I am not an ordinary Zoroark. Among other things, my illusions can interact with other physical objects; which is not normally possible. What you uncovered about aura may have something to do with it, but I'll have to do some more testing on that..."

"Hold on, slow down," Jack exclaimed. "I'm still working on how you've been a Pokémon all this time… Why…?"

"Why was I working as a professional magician in a travelling carnival?" Omar interrupted. "Curiosity mostly. I wanted to find out more about humans and their culture. I also thought that maybe I'd stumble upon something that might explain my extraordinary abilities."

"Did you?" Jack asked. "Find anything, I mean."

"Not as such," Omar replied, "But I did find you. Your abilities are remarkably similar to mine although, like I said last time we met, yours are significantly more powerful. I thought by studying you I might find out more about myself, but as of yet that hasn't been the case. Do you have any information on the nature of your power, or how you came by it?"

Jack sighed. "I was hoping to ask you that question. I didn't learn my first move until I was about a year old, but I've had Pokémon-like abilities ever since I can remember. At this point I try not to think about where my power might have come from, it always seems to put me a bad mood. The sad fact is I have no answers, and no way of getting any; so what's the point of dwelling on it?"

Jack looked up and stared absentmindedly at a shaft of moonlight.

"You know," he continued, a faraway look in his eyes, "When I was little, my friends didn't treat me any differently. Pokémon come in all shapes and sizes anyway and I doubt they'd ever seen a human before, so they had no reason to assume I was different from them. Or at least, any more different than they were from each other. My foster parents told me I was human of course, but that didn't really mean anything to me at the time. I grew up not knowing that my powers were anything out of the ordinary. But when I started my trainer's journey, being around and acting like other humans for the first time, I started to realize exactly how different I was from everybody. It took me a long time to finally accept that and move on."

Omar nodded. "I believe I can empathize with that. My family comes from a very… shall we say 'religious' background… I don't suppose you've ever heard of the Cult of Darkrai? No? I thought not. Suffice it to say they weren't a pleasant lot. They used to worship Darkrai as the lord of darkness, or some such nonsense. They died out long before I was born, but many of my clan still remembered those days. As I grew up, and my abilities developed at an increasingly rapid rate, some thought I was possessed by Darkrai. I was exiled from our village when I was two years old. I was still a Zorua at the time, the first form of my evolutionary line."

"That's horrible..." Jack muttered incredulously. "How could they do that to one of their own?"

Omar shrugged, and looked up at the stars absent-mindedly. "Fear is a powerful thing, it can turn even the most level-headed person into a crazed madman. That was what the cult of Darkrai was all about, the power of fear."

Jack shivered. "Remind me to avoid them."

"Surviving on my own was a challenge at first, especially since I couldn't help but think of my power as something evil, but eventually I got used to it. I stopped thinking of my abilities as a curse and instead set about learning to master them. I spent several years in the wilderness during which time I evolved into the fine specimen you see before you. After that I stumbled into the first humans I'd ever seen. I'd heard of humans before, but only from old legends that, to tell the truth, got more outlandish with each retelling. Once I'd caught a glimpse of what humans were really like, I decided that I wanted to learn more about them. I took up the name Omar, and one thing led to another until I wound up performing as a magician at a carnival, and the rest is history."

"So Omar isn't your real name either?" Jack asked.

The Zoroark sighed. "It is now. I left my old name behind when I decided not to let my past define me, on the day I decided to become Omar the human."

Jack nodded, and for a few second there was silence. Neither Jack or Omar had anything more to say, so they said nothing as they tried to find a new topic for conversation.

"So," Jack said finally, "You won the Sinnoh League, or Tobias did anyway. What are you going to do now?"

Omar shrugged. "I'll probably go back to the carnival and keep being Omar the Mage. Although," he grinned, his sharp vulpine teeth glinting in the moonlight, "I can't guarantee that Tobias won't show up every now and again. I plan on having him go down in myth and legend; the mysterious cloaked man who defeated the great Jack Storm in the Sinnoh League."

"You wouldn't consider coming with me then?" Jack asked jokingly.

Omar chuckled at that. "You'd like that, wouldn't you… but no, I'm afraid that's not going to happen any time soon. I have no desire to go to other regions quite yet."

Jack furrowed his brow. "Who said anything about other regions?"

"Oh, pardon me," Omar said apologetically. "From what I heard, it's common for trainers to visit other regions and challenge the Pokémon league there after losing the league of their home region. I just assumed… So you're not going elsewhere?"

* * *

 _"Should I try visiting another region?" Jack wondered as he lay awake in bed. "For all I know it might be a lot of fun. Plus, it might throw my stalker off his game enough for him to make a mistake…"_

Jack rolled over onto his back and stared at the ceiling. If he went to another region, his stalker might even lose track of him altogether. Although all things considered, he wasn't optimistic about that.

 _"If I did go to another region, the next logical question is which one? I could try Kalos, it might be nice to see how Ethan and Lucas are doing. Or maybe I could visit Unova and try getting in touch with Keldeo. Or maybe…"_

"You know what?" he muttered to himself. "I'll figure that out tomorrow. Maybe Nicholas and I can go somewhere together, that'd be a lot of fun. It would also give me the perfect chance to keep an eye on his new abilities..."

Resolving to find and talk to Nicholas about it the next morning, Jack drifted off into a deep sleep. That night, he had another dream.

Everything started out blurry, as if he was looking at it through murky water. From what he could see, he guessed he was in a grassy place next to some sort of giant grey… thing. A stone wall maybe?

There was… what he assumed was a person crouching next to him. He couldn't make out any details, or even whether it was a man or woman, but when it stood up he knew it had to be human by the general shape of it.

As he looked, he noticed that the image was slightly clearer than it had been a second ago; but not by much. Still, it was enough to confirm that what he was looking at was indeed human, and a tall one at that at least compared to him. As the image grew cleared yet, he noticed something else that didn't surprise him. He could see his own hands, which meant that he was looking out of someone's eyes just like in his old nightmares. Still, there was something different about this...

At that point the dream took a turn for the surreal, as he grabbed a small object from somewhere he couldn't see and threw it on the ground at the other person's feet. Suddenly, the other person was enveloped in what looked like a cloud of purple smoke. When it cleared, the other figure was gone.

Before Jack could even try to understand the meaning behind that, he turned his head to see more figures coming; carrying things that looked like swords and axes. The new figures looked human, at least from the shape of them, but their skin looked an odd grey colour… Then the image cleared up a little more, and Jack was gripped by an icy claw of sheer primal terror as he realized why the new figures' faces were that unnatural grey. Where their faces should have been, there were only empty skulls.

Jack launched himself into the air with so much force his head connected with, and slightly cracked, the ceiling. He landed back on the bed, the mattress softening his landing slightly.

"Oh my goodness, are you alright?!" Lucy, who was in his room for some reason, exclaimed as Jack sat up and rubbed his now tender head.

"Y-yeah, I'm fine," he stammered, still a little shaken up by his latest nightmare. "What… what are you doing up, or in my room for that matter? Why aren't you in the Pack?"

Lucy stared sheepishly at the floor. "I asked Thomas to let me out so I could keep an eye on you. You seemed pretty down about the battle today, and I didn't want to leave you alone all night… That, and Jason asked me to. I'm pretty sure he's just too stubborn to stay out himself."

Jack sighed. "Thanks Lucy," he said, putting his hand on her head and scratching her behind the ears. "I don't know what I'd do without you."

Lucy practically purred with pleasure as Jack petted her in her favourite spot, but the boy barely noticed. Jack was still thinking about his latest nightmare, and what it could possibly mean. The problem was it didn't feel like a normal dream, but it also wasn't quite like his old nightmares either.

Both this new dream and his old ones had him observing it in the first person, he was certain of that. He didn't know for sure, but he had a sneaking suspicion that in his old dreams he had been looking out through someone else's eyes, someone else's body. This new dream though… he couldn't explain how, but somehow he knew it was him in the dream. It seemed impossible, and he didn't know what it meant, but he was certain. This new dream wasn't just a dream, and it wasn't some sort of supernatural premonition.

It was a memory.


	20. Storms on the horizon

_This shouldn't have happened..._

 _It's impossible._

 _This all has to be some sort of nightmare, right?_

 _Please, let this all be just a bad dream…_

 _How did it come to this?_

* * *

Earlier that morning...

Jack woke up to find a tuft of soft, white fur in his face. It took him a second to realize that the warm fuzzy thing sleeping next to him was Lucy.

 _"That's right,"_ he thought to himself as he remembered the events of last night. _"She was worried about me, so she stayed up to watch over me. I guess she must have gotten too tired to stay awake."_

Jack contemplated various ways of getting out of bed without waking the exhausted Absol. Not that it was an unpleasant situation, in fact the feel of Lucy's fur was quite nice. He just knew Jason would never let him live it down if he saw them like this again.

 _"Teleportation is out of the question, she'd feel the rush of air. Maybe I could gently levitate her off of me…"_

However, before Jack could try anything he felt a distressingly familiar tingling sensation take hold of him. He knew exactly what was about to happen and desperately tried to hold it back, for Lucy's sake, but unfortunately that just made it all the more explosive.

Despite his best efforts Jack sneezed violently, and the noise startled Lucy so much that she jumped out of bed and landed on her back on the floor. If Jack hadn't been so mortified, and worried that Lucy might have hurt herself, he might have found the scene quite funny. Lucy desperately scrambled back to her feet, blushing in embarrassment underneath her fur.

"I'm so sorry," Jack exclaimed. "Your fur was tickling my nose, and I…"

"It's alright," Lucy said, "It's my fault for… you know. It's just, you look so cute when you're asleep…"

Jack let out a small chuckle, and a wry grin spread across his face. "Actually, I was going to say the same thing about you."

At that, Lucy blushed so deeply that it started to show through her fur.

"Thanks," she said quietly, her expression an adorable mix of embarrassment and delight.

Jack chuckled again, and then let out a deep sigh as he remembered the nightmare he had last night. It seemed almost to crazy to have actually happened, but he couldn't shake the feeling that it had. In some strange inexplicable way, the scene just seemed to... fit. It didn't feel alien like his old nightmares had, like he was a spectator in someone else's body.

That said, it made no sense. He'd gotten used to living with the unusual, but living skeletons? It was impossible, wasn't it? Then again, he woke up before he could see what happened next; the skeletons might have been some kind of illusion. The other question was who the other person with him was. Nicholas? No, even with it being so blurry he would've recognised Nicholas's fiery red hair.

Realising that no matter how much he thought about it and replayed it over in his mind he wouldn't be able to figure out anything more about the dream, Jack decided to shelve the issue until he had more to work with.

Jack let the rest of his team out of the Pack, then set about cleaning up the suite and packing their things in preparation to leave. Once everything was in order, they all headed over to Lily of the Valley Town for one last breakfast.

While they were eating, Jack once again pondered the possibility of travelling to another region. He hadn't seen Nicholas yet, but he was almost certain they would run into each other at some point that morning. Until then, he reserved judgment on the subject.

"Hey Jack," Jason said suddenly halfway through breakfast. "We… we need to talk. Privately."

"Okay," Jack said, getting up as Jason led him out of earshot of the others. "What about?"

Jason sighed, there was no running from it now. "It's just… I noticed that you haven't been reading your Bible lately, or praying."

"Yeah…" Jack said, rubbing the back of his head. "I guess with everything that's been happening with the tournament, I kinda got out of the habit."

Jason shook his head. "No, it's been going on a lot longer than that. What happened Jack? You used to love reading your Bible, and you made sure to pray every night before bed. I'm worried about you…"

Jack didn't know what to say. It wasn't that big a deal, he just hadn't had the time lately. It wasn't like he was drifting away from God… was it?

"You don't have to worry," Jack told his foster brother. "I'll get back in the habit once we're on the road."

"Will you?" Jason asked pointedly. "Promise?"

"I… I promise," Jack assured his brother, although it almost felt more like he was trying to convince himself. "I'll read my Bible and pray every morning and night until it's a reflex."

Jason sighed. "Thank you, that takes a huge weight off my shoulders."

After they'd finished breakfast, Jack teleported them all back to the hotel to grab their bags. To tell the truth, Jack grabbed all the bags and then returned everyone else to the Pack. He was planning on tracking Nicholas down, and having everyone out with him would just make it that much trickier.

Jack left the hotel, checking Nicholas's room on the way out. He wasn't there, unfortunately, so Jack sent out a mental probe. Due to the fact that the Sinnoh League was over, there were very few people left at the stadium. As such it didn't take long for Jack to confirm that Nicholas wasn't anywhere nearby.

After that Jack teleported back to Lily of the Valley Town and sent out another probe. To his relief he quickly locked onto Nicholas's mind. However, before he could teleport to the trainer's location, he sensed something that sent an ice-cold sliver of fear like a into his heart like a needle. He'd never before felt such concentrated malice, such unbridled bloodlust. A chill ran down his spine as he realized that the presence he sensed was approaching rapidly. In fact, it was practically right on top of him.

Jack looked around at his surrounding. He was roughly in the center of the town, and there were people everywhere. He couldn't afford to get into a large-scale fight here, there would almost certainly be innocent casualties. He was about to teleport away to somewhere less populated, when he picked up a high-pitched sound from directly above him.

Instinctively, he threw up a hasty auric barrier above him. He had no doubt whatsoever that whatever had caused the sound was dangerous, and aimed at him. His intuition proved correct as a bolt of red energy hit his shield and exploded. Jack took an involuntary step backwards at the force of the blast, but his shield held.

Jack looked up to the sky just in time to watch another bolt drop from seemingly out of nowhere, and then another one, and another. The blasts kept coming every half second or so and Jack was forced to put even more energy into his aura shield just to block them.

Around him the townsfolk were in a state of panic, running desperately to get away from the area. In all the confusion plenty of people were bumping into him, which didn't help his concentration. Still, it wouldn't take long for them to evacuate and he only had to hold out until they had. After that he could safely teleport away and buy himself some time to assess the situation.

Then he felt something that was more than a simple bump, and more like someone had slashed his shoulder with a knife. He instinctively let loose a blast of psychic energy which sent everything around him flying, and as he did so he realized that his backpack, containing the portable PC which currently held his team, was no longer on his back. Someone had cut the carrying straps, and his right shoulder with them.

Jack spun on his heel, readying a focussed bolt of aura in his left hand. His assailant was a man wearing a black uniform with a strange purple symbol on the shoulder, a combat vest, and a black helmet. More importantly he had a knife in one hand, and Jack's backpack in the other. Jack's mouth curled into a vicious snarl which would've terrified him if he could've seen it, but before he could even think of doing anything he was hit in the back by… something. It didn't hurt, in fact he barely felt it. Come to that, he could barely feel anything...

Jack realized with a start that almost his entire body had gone completely numb, and the feeling was quickly spreading up his chest. He tried to move, to do anything, but he was unable. The last thing he saw was something that shook him to his core, a grey-haired woman wearing a visor which obscured her face; The Predator, Pokémon Hunter J. Then the numbness spread to his head, and everything went black.

* * *

No sooner, it seemed, had he blacked out than light entered his eyes again. To him it felt like no time had passed at all, but he knew that was highly unlikely. As he took a deep breath and looked around himself, the first face he saw was Nicholas's.

"Are you okay," the red-headed trainer asked worriedly. "You were… brown!"

"It was a form of suspended animation," said another familiar voice from behind Jack.

"Maylene," Jack said, turning around. "You're here too? What happened? There were explosions and a soldier and… The Predator was there, Hunter J."

After his encounter with the Predator months ago, he'd learned her real name as well as her reputation as a ruthless Pokémon hunter. He'd assumed she died when her skyship blew up at the hands of Matthew, a wise Alakazam who sacrificed his life by using the Mind Plate to protect Solomon, his son. Evidently though, the universe had no justice and J had survived.

Maylene furrowed her brow. "Yeah, J was there; and soldiers."

"What happened?" Jack repeated.

"We were both nearby and we came running when we heard the explosions," Nicholas told him. "We got here just in time to see Hunter J talking with a bunch of soldiers wearing black uniforms."

"We would've tried to rescue right away," Maylene said, "But there were four of them and they had rifles."

"The soldiers didn't stick around long though," Nicholas continued, "They got into a black helicopter and took off that way," he said, pointing.

"What about J?" Jack asked.

"We attacked her as soon as the soldiers were gone," Maylene said, "But she disappeared. She must've had a ship nearby."

"How did you turn me back to normal?" Jack asked.

"We didn't," Maylene replied. "It just wore off after a while."

"How long has it been?"

Maylene shrugged. "Maybe five minutes? The police haven't shown up yet, and everyone else is long gone."

Jack got shakily to his feet, and in the process he jarred his shoulder which still hurt. He glanced at it, but his robes weren't even cut. It looked like they really could survive anything… Then he remembered why his shoulder hurt, and his eyes widened in terror.

"Where's my backpack?" he asked, a tinge of desperation in his voice.

Maylene and Nicholas looked at each other.

"I'm pretty sure I saw one of the soldiers carrying it," Maylene said. "But why would they want your backpack?"

A knot formed in Jack's stomach as he remembered something else. He'd found the Pack in a lab which had originally been run by the Saldaran terrorist organization known as Alpha, and there had been a weird looking A on the door of the lab. The soldier who stole the Pack had that same symbol on the shoulder of his uniform.

"Alpha…" Jack muttered, his blood turning to ice. "They came back for their invention…"

"Invention, what…?" Nicholas said, confused.

"Jack," Maylene asked, "What was in that backpack?"

Jack turned to look at them, his face a blank unreadable mask. "My Pokémon, all of them."

Maylene and Nicholas's eyes widened as they realized the implication of that sentence. They both knew how Jack felt about his Pokémon.

"Jack," Maylene said, "Don't even think about it. They're terrorists from another region, you can't get involved with stuff like that!"

"Watch me," Jack said, his calm tone conveying more fury than any amount of shouting could have.

"Jack, for the love of God you're not bulletproof!" Maylene shouted desperately. "If you go after them, you could die!"

"DO YOU THINK THAT MATTERS TO ME?!" Jack shouted, rounding on the young gym leader. "I can't just abandon them! What good is my power if I can't protect the people I love?! Don't try to stop me, because you can't."

"Then at least let us help," Nicholas said. "Take us with you!"

Jack shook his head, forcing himself to calm down. "Not on your life. This is my fight, I won't involve the two of you. Just… one thing," he said, his expression softening as he remembered what Jason had said to him during breakfast. "Pray for me, okay?"

Tears started welling up in Nicholas's eyes.

"Y-yeah, I will. I promise," the trainer said, fighting to hold back the tears.

"We both will," Maylene agreed, her own eyes starting to tear up as well.

"Thank you," Jack said, a rueful smile appearing on his face for just a moment. "That takes a huge weight off my shoulders. Don't worry, you'll see me again. I promise."

With that, Jack disappeared.

* * *

Jack stared out into the pitch-black night as the ship pitched and rocked underneath him. He was on the rearmost of three cargo ships bound for Haven, a port-city in the North-East of Saldara. The ships were packed full of food and medical supplies that were desperately need by the Saldaran Defense Force. They were being escorted by four small warships and a squadron of fighter jets.

After finding out that all public transport to and from Saldara had been shut down because of the war, Jack had been directed to the captain of this ship who had, for almost all the money Jack had, agreed to smuggle Jack in.

"Alright kid, this is as close as I can get you," the captain said, looking down at Jack. "You've got guts trying to sneak into Saldara right now, I will give you that."

"Believe me," Jack replied, "It's not by choice. They just wouldn't let me through customs."

"Well, let me tell you; the less I know, the better for both of us," The captain started, crossing his arms across his chest. "I have helped a few people get into other regions before, but never Saldara. Their punishment for doing this… it's enough to wreck a man for life, which is why this is costing you an arm and a leg."

"It's a price I'm happy to pay," Jack said, "And I appreciate you helping me at all."

"It's my pleasure, so long as it all goes smoothly… Well here is what you need to do. Usually I would just send you on your way from here, but I haven't had military ships give us escort before," the captain said before sighing.

"So what's the plan?"

"Once I got your boat lowered, you are to do nothing but drift for half an hour. Let the convoy get away from you before starting the engine. The current should take you west towards the coast. Once thirty minutes have passed, continue west and you'll reach landfall. Got it?"

"Sounds simple enough."

"Well, don't jinx it; saying it'll be easy almost guarantees that it won't be. Oh, and one more thing; I don't think I need to tell you this but if you get caught, you were a stowaway that stole a boat and I will deny ever meeting you."

"I figured as much," Jack said as he got into the small motor boat. "Don't worry, if I get caught, I won't mention you."

"I appreciate it," the captain said, tipping his hat to the boy. "Good luck, kid. You'll need it."

With that, the captain pressed a button and the wires that held the small, black boat up started lowering it towards the water. A few seconds later, the motors stopped. When the wires started swaying, signifying that the boat was free, the captain pressed another button and the wires were reeled back up. Stowing the remote back in its position on the railing, the captain turned around before going back inside the superstructure of his ship.

* * *

Me: And so it begins, the long awaited collab with OseanSoldier. **_LET TEH HYPE COMMENCE!_**

Jack: This is going to be really, really awesome.

Me: Seriously though guys, this is the single, solitary moment to which I have been building for the entirety of book 2 so far. And Osean has been waiting on the edge of his seat for me to get this chapter out for far too long now. Well here you go buddy, I hope you liked it. And now the real fun can begin.

Jack: If you haven't read Osean's story… why not? We've recommended probably more than any other story. I don't endorse things easily, but I can fully get behind Osean's Dimensional War fanfic, it is a work of art.

Me: If you haven't read it though, don't worry. For each chapter Osean and I write from the perspective of his characters and post to his story, I will re-write it from Jack's viewpoint and post it to my story. So no matter which story you read, you'll be getting what you paid for; and we'll do our best to make it so that nobody actually has to have read both stories to understand it. And for those of you who follow both Dimensional War and Rising Storm, congratulations; you'll be getting twice the awesomeness, and in two different flavours.

Jack: If you can't tell, we're really excited for this collab. It's something that's been in the works for… about a year and a half, and we're glad to finally be able to start it in earnest. If you've been following Osean's story though you probably already know most of this since he, for some reason, decided to post the first chapter of the collab early. Something about his story's anniversary or something. I don't know.

Me: Anyway, I hope you're all as hyped for this as we are, because it is going to be one heck of a ride. Osean and I are going all out on this one, it's going to be a tale to remember. See you guys in the next chapter.


	21. Saldaran Storm: P1

Jack yawned as he stared through the bars of his cell, the only furnishings of which were a bed, table, and two chairs on one of which Jack was currently sitting. As far as he could tell this was an important military base owned by the SDF. He'd been locked up in here ever since he stumbled across a military checkpoint and they took him for questioning.

Well, to be technical he pretty much walked up to them and said 'take me to your leader'. Why? To tell the truth he wasn't feeling quite as confident now that he was actually in Saldara. After all, he was up against a fully fledged, and heavily armed, terrorist organization. Compared to these guys, Team Rocket looked like a couple of kids playing cheap pranks. Not that they didn't' look like that anyway…

At any rate, Jack figured he might as well speak to someone in authority before he started gallivanting across the region. Who knows, maybe they could come to some sort of mutually beneficial arrangement. Then maybe they'd give him back the bag with all his supplies...

Jack's train of thought was derailed by someone walking up to his cell. By the man's uniform, and the way he dismissed the two guards who had been posted next to the cell, Jack figured he was probably the 'General Ford' he'd overheard some soldiers talking about. The general opened the door of the cell and stepped inside, looking Jack over as he did so.

"So… Jack Storm, how and what are you doing in my region right now?" Ford asked, setting a folder down on the table as he sat down.

Jack shrugged. "Just passing through, really; there's some people I need to see. Alpha, I believe they're called."

"Alpha," Ford started in a harsh tone, his eyebrows rising at the mention of the terrorist group. "And tell me why on earth you want to see them?"

Jack's eyes narrowed. "It's… personal. Although, if you are who I think you are, then we both want the same thing. I'm here to take Alpha down."

The general blinked as he stared at the kid in front of him. He obviously wasn't sure if he should laugh or shake his head.

"Kid… I must say, I did not see that coming," he finally said, shaking his head. "You got guts, I will give you that, but your plan is insane. You look like you would barely be old enough to join the armed forces, and you want to single handedly take down a hundred year old terrorist organization?"

Jack shrugged again. "Yeah, well what can I say; you locked me up so tightly, I thought for sure you'd heard of me and what I can do. Still, it doesn't really make much of a difference. Believe me when I say I'm not making idle threats here, I will destroy Alpha; with my own two hands if I have to. But since this is your country, I'm willing to play by your rules."

"Look here, Jack," Ford said sternly, leaning forward and resting his elbows on the table. "I don't care who you are or what you supposedly can do. Truthfully, I didn't even know of your existence until about ten minutes ago. The guards were ordered by one of my overzealous subordinates. I have been fighting a full fledged war here for the past three months and a soft war for some time before that. I haven't had the luxury of paying attention to fairy tales from another region. And if you want to play by my rules, you are on a plane back to Sinnoh before the sun sets. This is war, kid. I don't have time nor resources to make sure you can go on your suicide mission."

Jack listened grimly and, when Ford had finished speaking, he looked the general in the eye.

"Alright then," Jack said, standing up. "If that's the case, then my rules it is. To be honest, I was hoping to get some help from you people; but if I have to do this alone, I will. It's been nice talking to you, and I'll be sure to stay out of your way in the future. Goodbye."

Without another word, Jack teleported outside the base. He would've gone looking for his things, but he didn't know where they were. He'd have to get it back somehow though, his Pokédex was in there; and his Bible too. As he contemplated how to retrieve his bag alarms started sounding down in the base, no doubt due to his sudden departure.

Then he sensed something, or rather two somethings. A pair of massively powerful aura signatures were closing in on the base. He couldn't know for sure, but he got the feeling that they weren't friendly. Jack gritted his teeth, he didn't have time for this. Still, he couldn't just leave them with no warning.

With a sigh, Jack teleported back to his cell. General Ford was still there although his back was turned to Jack at the moment.

"Oh, and by the way," Jack said, as if he were commenting on the weather, "I think your base is about to be attacked by someone really powerful. I just thought you should know."

Ford whipped around and leveled his pistol squarely at Jack's chest.

"What do you mean? We aren't anywhere near the front lines," Ford demanded harshly.

Jack shrugged. "Well then, you'd better hope the intense auric signatures I'm picking up are friends of yours; because otherwise, I think this is what's known as a sneak attack. And since you just sounded the alarm, I'm guessing they're going to make their move some time soon."

"Hybrids…" Ford muttered, lowering his pistol slightly.

As if to confirm Jack's words, the building shook as an explosion reverberated throughout the area.

"Well," Jack continued, "That's my good deed for the day; good luck."

With that he teleported away again, once more landing just outside the base. He was going to leave, but then he saw what was happening only a hundred feet or so to the right of him. One Pokémon, a strange-looking Lucario with white fur and some sort of metal headband, was in the process of decimating the entire garrison of the fort. Jack watched as a massive Aura Sphere slammed into a tank, causing to to explode. Other vehicles and tanks tried to engage the lone Pokémon, but it proved fruitless as their shells were easily dodged.

It wasn't long before dozens of bodies were strewn across the base along with a good number burning wrecks that were fully functioning military vehicles minutes before hand. A squad of soldiers were currently unloading on the Aura Pokémon with their machine guns. One soldier hoisted a rocket launcher and loosed a shell at the deadly Pokémon, however it was all for naught as the intense level of fire didn't even phase the Lucario. The squad of soldiers started back-peddling towards the building they had just come out of as empty magazines clattered against the concrete ground of the base, the soldiers' nerves breaking as they struggled to get the full mags into their rifles.

 _"I don't have time for this,"_ Jack thought, trying to convince himself to just walk away and leave well enough alone. _"Every second I waste here is a second my team is in danger…"_

Jack watched from afar as the Lucario grew a set of Metal Claws, the deadly blades rapidly closing on the soldiers as they pulled back on their charging handles, chambering rounds from the new magazines. Before they could even take aim, Lucario charged at them; its face showing no emotion as it prepared to mow down the helpless men.

At that point Jack couldn't take it any more, it wasn't in his nature to walk away. Feeling his anger starting to flare up against this emotionless killer Lucario, he flung out a powerful wall of psychic energy in the its path, stopping it cold. He then teleported a few meters behind the creature and crossed his arms.

"You know," Jack said, allowing frustration to seep into his tone, "I tried walking away, really I did, but I just can't do it. I can't watch people die any more. Which is bad luck for you."

The Lucario spun in place, and found himself face to face with a decidedly ticked-off Jack Storm.

"Now we can do this the easy way," Jack said, "Or the hard way; take your pick."

The white-furred Lucario stared blankly at Jack for a moment, its face still showing no emotion whatsoever. Jack had just enough time to wonder what its deal was, before it charged at him with a Force Palm attack in both paws.

Jack waited until the Lucario was nearly on top of him, then he disappeared. The Lucario, its attack not meeting the expected resistance, stumbled forward slightly. Jack, who had re-appeared directly behind his opponent, used that momentary imbalance to knock the Lucario off its feet with a kick to the back of the head.

"You know," Jack said, settling into a combat stance, "I was a little worried when I sensed your aura, but if that's the best you can do then this is going to be too easy."

Lucario lunged at him again but Jack just teleported away and then reappeared a behind his opponent. Jack fired off a quick Thunderbolt before disappearing again and repeating the process.

"I was right," Jack commented to no one in particular. "This is a little too easy."

He went on like that for some time and Lucario didn't seem to be able to counter the tactic. On the other hand, it didn't seem to be getting worn down like Jack had intended either. For all the hits Jack had landed, the oddly coloured Pokémon barely seemed the worse for wear.

"I might have to try something different," Jack muttered to himself.

Instead of firing off a Thunderbolt, Jack used a trick he'd learned more recently. He summoned a small flame in the palm of his hand, and tossed it at Lucario. It looked almost pathetic, a tiny little spark sailing through the air, but when it hit the ground in front of Lucario it exploded into a roaring inferno which enveloped Lucario entirely.

Jack grinned. "Well, that worked surprisingly well."

Jack's statement proved premature however. When the smoke cleared, Lucario was unharmed; surrounded in a glowing purple dome of energy which Jack recognised as an auric shield, although he'd never seen purple aura before.

Jack scowled. "Okay, so maybe it didn't."

Before Jack could launch another attack, Lucario reabsorbed the aura into its paws forming two Aura Spheres before hurling one of them at Jack. Jack anticipated the attack and simply teleported away again, but as soon as he reappeared Lucario quickly turned towards where the boy had popped into existence and threw the remaining Aura Sphere with all the strength it had.

Jack saw the attack coming and made a split second decision. Instead of teleporting away from the attack, he charged his right hand with aura and swatted it into the air where it exploded harmlessly.

"You know what," he said, "Beating around the bush isn't getting us anywhere. You've got my attention so let's do this like men. So to speak."

With that, Jack reached a hand into the sky which, as if on cue, started to darken. Thick storm clouds quickly covered the sun, casting a shadow on the entire base. Eyeing the blackening sky with a blank stare, Lucario focused energy into its paws before holding his paws towards the sky. As suddenly as the clouds had appeared, they started dispersing as Lucario used Sunny Day.

Jack scowled. "Okay; didn't see that one coming. I guess I'll have to do this the old-fashioned way."

Focussing aura into his legs and arms, Jack launched himself at Lucario at full speed; closing the distance between them in a heartbeat and pulling back his right arm for a punch. As fast as Jack closed in on Lucario, said Aura Pokémon reached out with one paw and prepared to catch Jack while its other paw glowed in white energy.

Jack grinned; Lucario had taken the bait. The boy continued closing in on his opponent until they were no more than inches away from each other, but just before they made contact Jack disappeared. He popped back into existence about two feet behind Lucario, heading in exactly the opposite direction but retaining his momentum. However as Jack lashed out with his fist at Lucario from behind, Lucario ducked just underneath the attack. Swinging out one of its legs, attempting to knock Jack off of his feet as it brought its Force Palm-charged paw around to deliver the blow.

Lucario's Force Palm landed dead on and flung Jack backwards like a ragdoll. He rolled along the ground for a few feet before coming to a stop. He groaned in pain, but didn't waste any time in getting back up knowing that Lucario would probably follow up with another attack. His hunch proved correct as he saw the Aura Pokémon closing in with Bone Rush.

"Batter up," Jack muttered with a scowl.

With a wave of his hand Jack unleashed a tidal wave of telekinetic energy which crashed into Lucario, picking it up like a leaf in a hurricane and sending it flying into the air spinning head over heels. Jack teleported into the sky himself, telekinetically hovering directly in the path of the airborne Lucario, and started pouring auric energy into his right arm. When Lucario, still spinning uncontrollably, got within striking distance Jack brought his arm down in a vicious karate-chop.

Before Jack could land the blow however, Lucario managed to twist its body so that his arms were facing Jack as he brought down his attack; although the impact of the blow managed to propel Lucario towards the ground at a rather rapid pace. Pumping aura into its legs, Lucario braced himself for a hard landing. Just as Jack suspected it would.

As Lucario plummeted towards the ground like a runaway meteorite, Jack teleported back down to earth and sent tendrils of telekinetic energy down into it. Then he waited until Lucario was about to hit the ground. A split second before the Aura Pokémon landed, Jack sent all the energy he could muster in one enormous pulse down into the earth. The ground buckled and caved, as though the earth was a pot of water coming to a boil. It was Jack's version of Earthquake.

The instant Lucario's feet touched the ground, the tremor reached its apex. It looked almost as though someone had detonated a mine just beneath the surface. The ground under Lucario exploded upwards in a cascade of rocks and dirt, which picked the Aura Pokémon up and forcefully flung it backwards away from Jack.

Lucario landed on its feet and prepared to launch a counter-attack of its own, but then it paused for a moment and cocked its head as if it was listening to something. Without so much as a word, Lucario turned and took of in the opposite direction of Jack.

"A strategic withdrawal?" Jack muttered to himself, but then he noticed something happening in the direction Lucario was going

Jack sent a mental probe to survey the area and found two incredibly powerful Pokémon, a Psychic-type and a Dark-type as far as he could tell from there, going head to head. Lucario had obviously been called over to help one side or the other end the fight. Which side Lucario was on, Jack didn't know. With that in mind he kept an eye on the situation until Lucario made its move. When it did, it attacked the Dark-type.

Now knowing which side was which, Jack poured aura into his legs and launched himself towards the action. Coming up on the scene, he headed straight for the Psychic-type which appeared to be an odd-looking Gallade holding some sort of gold-coloured sword in his right hand and a matching shield in his left. Remarking to himself that Saldara seemed to be full of strange Pokémon, Jack ran up to the Gallade and sent his fist into the side of its face.

"I don't think it's going to be that easy," Jack said, cracking his knuckles after landing the punch.

The Gallade went flying several meters before hitting the ground, giving Jack a moment to take a better look at the Dark-type he'd sensed. It looked to be a Zoroark, like Omar, except it appeared to be female. She was also somewhat shorter, had blue fur where Omar's had been red, was wearing a pair of ornate golden bracers on her upper arms, and had some sort of spear attached to her back. The Illusion Pokémon was currently occupied fighting off the Lucario, who hadn't even looked up when its partner went flying.

"Gah, treachery and foul play!" the strange Gallade stammered upon recovering and standing back up, glaring daggers at the… kid, who had the audacity to attack him.

"What do you think, Miss Zoroark?" Jack commented.

 _"I think he deserved it,"_ the Zoroark said telepathically, seemingly amused by how the situation had changed.

Jack glanced at her spear. "Can you handle the Lucario while I take out that Gallade… thing?"

"My name is Damocles! Remember it, you peasant, for it shall be the last name you ever hear!" the Gallade yelled out indignantly, slashing his fancy golden sword to the side.

Jack grinned impishly. "And mine's Jack Storm. It's a pleasure to beat you."

With that, Jack telekinetically flicked himself into the air at Damocles; simultaneously sending tendrils of power into the sky above. He had never summoned a lightning bolt quite this quickly before, and to be honest he wasn't sure how well it was going to work, but whatever that Gallade thing was its aura signature was also unusually strong. Not as strong as the Lucario's, but this was still not an opponent to take lightly.

As Jack descended towards Damocles, he pulled back his fist for another punch. Damocles eyed Jack with suspicion and, seemingly deciding that standing still would not be in the best interests of his health, leapt out of the way of Jack's blow.

The Gallade avoided Jack's initial attack with ease, but as he did so he noticed that the sky had darkened dramatically over the last few seconds. He barely had time to register the fact though before Jack landed no more than three feet to his left. At that exact same instant, a bolt of searing heat and blinding light arced down from the heavens and hit the ground where the boy had just landed.

The blast from the lightning strike flung Damocles backwards several meters and nearly deafened him momentarily. He probably would have been blinded as well if he'd been looking directly at Jack when the bolt struck.

Damocles hastily got back to his feet and looked towards the spot where the lightning had struck, hoping to see only the boy's charred remains. He was not only disappointed, but somewhat frightened by the scene before him.

Jack was sitting, perfectly unharmed, in a six-foot-wide crater of semi-molten earth. Not only was Jack unharmed however, his entire body seemed full to bursting with energy. Little sparks of electricity were arcing off every exposed inch of his skin, crackling like tiny lightning bolts. Jack looked at Damocles, and his eyes were glowing like molten gold. A sinister grin spread across the boy's face.

"You know, I think that was by far the most powerful lightning bolt I've ever summoned," he said calmly, as though he were merely commenting on the weather; which in a way he was. "It was a bit of a rush job to be honest, and I might have overdone it just a little. Still, I'm eager to see how quickly I can take you down with this much extra energy."

Damocles barely had time to raise his shield before Jack closed the distance between them faster than the hybrid's eyes could register and, putting every scrap of his momentum into the blow, threw a haymaker punch at Damocles' chest. The blow, fortunately for Damocles, hit his shield. The Gallade was flung backwards like a ragdoll, and he felt the bones in his arm groan from the impact, but he felt it was far preferable to what would've happened had the punch landed true.

Damocles grunted as he stood up, glaring daggers at the boy. His anger grew as he was thrown around like nothing by this human. It was beyond absurd that he was losing this fight.

"Alright, Jack… it seems that I severely underestimated you and your abilities," Damocles ground out through clenched teeth. He leveled his sword at the boy's head. "You might just be a problem."

"You don't say," Jack deadpanned, then he smirked. "Then again you're not exactly the first guy to make that mistake, so I don't blame you."

Damocles held his sword out as three orbs of blueish-purple energy formed along its blade. Moments later, he swung the blade at his opponent, unleashing the three Psyshock attacks towards Jack. Even as the orbs of energy had just cleared the tip of his sword, Damocles charged up another three attacks and readied to unleash them.

Jack disappeared before the attacks could hit him, leaving a few sparks of electricity in his wake. Within the time it took to blink, he was standing right behind Damocles and was preparing to fire a Thunderbolt into his back. A vicious grin appeared on Damocles' face. At the last second he swiveled around and launched the trio of Psyshocks point blank at Jack's chest. Unprepared for the surprise attack, Jack took a direct hit and was flung backwards. However, in mid-air he telekinetically flipped himself upright and lashed out with the Thunderbolt he'd charged up.

With a slight exertion of his mind Damocles shifted the path of the Thunderbolt just enough for it to whiz past him and leave him unscathed, but before he could make a move of his own Jack fired off another bolt. Mentally sighing, Damocles once again batted the highly volatile bolt of energy away from him before he teleported right behind Jack, his sword glowing in bright blue energy as he brought it down towards his opponent.

Jack didn't so much as turn around and instead blasted Damocles backwards into the air with Psychic, quickly firing a blast of flames up after him. Slightly surprised by the force behind the psychic attack, Damocles hastily used Protect as the flames encircled around him and left him unharmed.

Jack, still floating mid-air, flicked Damocles down at the ground with Psychic and started surreptitiously gathering aura into his right hand. Before Damocles hit the ground, he once again teleported above Jack with Sacred Sword at the ready. As the hybrid swung at Jack for a second time, he turned around and materialised two short blades of aura in his hands; crossing them like scissors to catch Damocles's sword. The energy stored behind the Sacred Sword released explosively, propelling Jack down towards the ground. With the attack complete and his downward momentum cancelled, Damocles teleported down to the ground.

Jack decided to take a page out of his opponent's book and teleported away just before he hit the ground, in the process translating his vertical momentum into horizontal momentum. He reappeared right behind Damocles who, when Jack disappeared, had steadied himself for an attack from above and was unprepared for an attack from behind. Jack didn't have time to ready a fancy move, so he just gave himself an extra flick with Psychic and slammed his shoulder into Damocles'; knocking him clean off his feet.

There was enough force behind the body slam to make Damocles cry out in a muffled shout. He could feel his left arm dislocate from from its socket and hang limply at his side as he slid across the ground. Pain surged through his body, but Damocles managed to suppress it. Forcing himself to stand up, Damocles glanced over to see how Lucario was doing. Much to his disappointment, the blue and black fox was still holding her own having just unleashed a Flame Thrower at his comrade.

"Well, it would seem that now would be a good time to cut our losses," Damocles muttered, catching the burst of flame out of the corner of his eye before mentally calling Lucario over to his side. Lucario was easily able to get away from the Zoroark and make his way over to Damocles.

"You're not getting away that easily," Jack said, flinging a blast of Psychic at them; but before the attack connected, the two Pokémon disappeared from sight in a blinding flash of light.

"Or… maybe you are," Jack sighed with a scowl before turning to the female Zoroark. "Are you okay over there?"

 _"I'm fine,"_ she replied telepathically, letting out a sigh before twirling her spear around and aurically attaching it to the strap on her back before sitting down. Her right paw went up to three cuts that ran along her left arm. She clenched her teeth in pain before she pooled aura around her paw and started healing the wound.

 _"I appreciate the sentiment,"_ Jack said, also speaking telepathically, _"But you can talk normally if you want; I can understand you either way."_

The blue and black fox looked at the boy curiously, tilting her head some with one of her ears falling to the side. She gave a short laugh before a smirk made its way onto her muzzle.

"Non puto," she replied with a toothy grin.

"Yeah..." Jack sighed, scratching the back of his head; only understanding the general meaning of her words because he could pick up a handful of surface thoughts through her Dark-type mental defenses. "On second thought, you're probably right about that. Still, I can fake it."

"You probably could," Nova continued in normal Poké speech as she pulled her claw away. Her arm was no longer bleeding, but it still hurt and was sore.

"I'm Jack Storm by the way," Jack said. "In case you missed my grand entrance."

"Nova," the Zoroark replied. "Pleasure to meet you."

"Likewise. So," Jack started. "Feel like telling me what I just got myself into?"

"War," Nova answered with a huff.

"Oh; is that all," Jack commented sarcastically, crossing his arms. "I assume that means those guys were with Alpha then?"

"That they were…" Nova replied with a sad sigh.

Jack frowned slightly. "That Lucario didn't talk much, and his aura seemed strange. It seemed almost… dry; emotionless."

Nova remained silent as she continued to sit on the grass before her head dipped down.

"He was your friend," Jack said solemnly. "Wasn't he."

"No… not my friend…" Nova barely managed to say, her voice stressed.

Jack nodded, understanding. "In that case, we're in much the same situation. Alpha has also taken... someone I love."

Nova nodded but remained silent. Jack joined her in silence for a moment, before he suddenly noticed the sound of approaching boots on the grass. Looking in the direction of the disturbance, Jack gritted his teeth as he saw a group of SDF soldiers approaching them. Somehow he didn't think they'd be happy to see him again, considering he'd just escaped from them less than fifteen minutes ago.

"We have company coming," Nova said as she placed a paw on her side, which seemed to have been injured in her fight with Lucario.

"I noticed," Jack commented. "Are you by any chance in good standings with the military here? Because if not, then I suggest we high-tail it."

"I know the… I forget what his title is, supreme commander or something like that. Though I kind of just left them three months ago…" Nova replied, taking her claw off of her side and running it through her mane. "I should be able to talk to him about all this."

Jack folded his arms. "I certainly hope so; because the general, of whom I assume you're speaking, and I aren't exactly on the best of terms."

"Why? What did you do? He's has been nothing but helpful to me and…" Nova trailed off.

Jack nodded. "Yeah, well what can I say. I entered the region illegally, and I pretty much told him that I was going to take down Alpha with my own two hands. Which, to be honest, is starting to look like a tall order."

Nova looked at Jack incredulously, her head tilting to the side some. She laughed a little bit at the thought before shaking her head.

"If you had told me that before this fight, I probably would have thought you were insane," Nova said with a smirk.

Jack shrugged. "I don't blame you, to be perfectly honest. Now that I've seen what we're up against, I'm starting to think I'll need some serious help."

"That… is an understatement. Alpha has been around for hundreds of years. They are dug in like a Joltik," Nova replied with a sigh.

Jack nodded sagaciously. "No kidding. So it's one of those things where if you cut off the head, two more grow back?"

"That sounds about right," Nova said with a short laugh.

"Alright then," Jack said, forcing a cocky grin onto his face. "In that case I'll just have to start at the tail and work my way up."

Nova looked at Jack blankly for a second before faintly smiling and shaking her head, her mane swaying behind her. Jack just wished he felt as confident as he was trying to look.

"You certainly have lots of optimism, Jack," Nova replied. "Though it looks like our friends are here."

Sure enough, the SDF troops arrived a few seconds later. As Jack had feared, they seemed somewhat displeased to see him

"Hands in the air!" One of the soldiers yelled, pointing his AK 5D at Jack. The other soldiers in the squad did the same, although a few pointed their rifles at Nova as well.

Jack sighed and did as he was told. "Like I said, I hope you're right about being able to talk to the general."

Nova simply nodded her head as put her hands behind her head. The soldiers quickly put cuffs on both the human and Pokémon, one of them, much to Nova's displeasure, taking the spear from off her back as well before leading them back to the base.

* * *

"Uncuff them this instant!" Ford yelled out in a furious tone. He started rubbing his temples as the stunned troops did as he ordered. Ford let out a low, frustrated sigh. Cuffing Jack he could understand, but Nova? Nova rubbed her wrists once the constricting device was off of her wrists.

 _"Thank you,"_ Nova said. _"Can I have my spear back please?"_

"So what are you doing back here? I haven't seen or heard from you in three months," Ford asked as he motioned for one of the soldiers to give the blue and black Zoroark her spear. The soldiers all left the room, only leaving Ford, Nova, and Jack present. Nova twirled the spear around a bit before aurically attaching to her back.

"Trying to get Lucario back…" Nova replied, her voice noticeably quieter in his head.

"I see… I also see you met Jack here," Ford said, his gaze hardening some as he looked over at the robe clad boy. "Though I suppose I should be thanking you for your help."

"Say what you like about me," Jack said, folding his arms, "But I don't make a habit of letting innocent people die."

"It is my job to enforce the laws of the region, especially in a time of war that we currently find ourselves in. However… you have done right in my eyes," Ford started before a sly smile made its way onto his face. "It was a real shame you escaped during the attack today, so it looks like I won't be able to have you deported. Given that all the security footage from today was also destroyed in the attack, I can say with utmost certainty that this meeting never happened."

Jack grinned. "Miss Nova was right about you. Also, I am sorry about the whole 'sneaking into the country' thing but…" his grin faded. "Well, long story short I had no other choice. I had to get here one way or another, and as quickly as possible. Speaking of which, there's something I need to ask you."

"Ask away, I will do my best to answer any questions you may have as long as it doesn't regard regional secrets," Ford answered, leaning back in his chair.

"Fair enough," Jack nodded. "But I actually just need some information concerning a helicopter that probably entered the region within the last week or so; it was carrying a squad of Alpha commandos, and probably would've gone straight to one of their major bases. Do you have any idea where exactly it might have gone?"

"I wish I did… However, Alpha's bases are extremely well hidden. They also destroyed part of the radar picket net that we rely on to find low flying aircraft sneaking into the region," Ford said with a sigh. "My best guess is that their main base is northwest of the Tauros Mountains. Lots of tundra up there. We have had several reconnaissance flights scan that area several times over the years, but they never found anything."

Jack nodded. "Thanks; that's more information than I'd hoped for. It's just, those commandos took something very valuable; several things, actually. Pretty much the only reason I'm here is to get them back; if only so that Alpha doesn't use them."

"Given the recent bases we have destroyed, it is probably dug into the side of a mountain. If I had the manpower, I would have put together a force to go on a search and destroy mission. Sadly, all of our forces are pretty much holding the front line at the moment…" Ford responded.

"Where exactly is the front line?" Jack asked.

Ford pulled out a map with various symbols and lines drawn on it. There was a thick black line that ran north-south along the map, dividing the region into three sections: the large peninsula that the SDF currently held to the east, an SDF pocket around Meteor City in the south, just west of the dividing line, and the rest of the region belonging to Alpha.

"This black line," Ford answered, tracing his finger down the map.

Jack's eyes widened. "And… all of that is territory Alpha's already taken over?"

"Unfortunately… yes," Ford said, crossing his arms across his chest and huffing out a breath of air.

Jack's eyes narrowed again, and he started studying the map more closely.

"These symbols," he asked. "I assume they represent different types of cities; right?"

"Hollow squares are towns and cities, solid diamonds are military bases," Ford replied.

Jack nodded. "In that case, this... Sul Ross? Sul Ross is target number one for them I'm guessing; if they take that, they can extend their reach pretty easily from there and take this... Silver Lake City. Right?"

"You're pretty analytic, but no," Ford said, shaking his head. "They would rather blast straight through Silver Lake then take this base before advancing on this city here." Ford pointed to a location on the map. "It's our industrial heartland; it produces our tanks and ammunition for the war effort."

"Come to think of it," Jack said, putting his finger on a spot marked 'Meteor City', "Why is this over here marked off from the rest? Has Alpha not conquered it yet?"

"Not yet, there is a massive fortress, called the Citadel, overlooking Meteor Bay that has held off their advances. We keep them resupplied by sea," Ford answered. Normally he wouldn't just be giving up all this information to some stranger, but nothing he had revealed so far wasn't known to Alpha and not much of a secret.

Jack furrowed his brow. "What kind of forces does Alpha have on the front lines; and what does the fighting over there look like? Are they making constant attacks?"

"Truthfully Jack, Alpha's military is nothing compared to ours. Their weapons are over a hundred years old. We maintain a massive technological advantage over them in all but one area," Ford said.

"Those strange Pokémon who were attacking the base," Jack said.

"Hybrids…" Ford muttered. "The only battle we have won against them was their second attack on the Citadel. Since then they have been reluctant to try and take the fortress."

"How has the Citadel held off Alpha this long anyway?" Jack asked curiously.

"As I said, it's a fortress. Massive walls, heavily armed, cliffs on all but one side allow them to focus their fire in one direction. Our navy also has a base there, preventing anyone from scaling the cliffs on the seaside," Ford explained.

Jack was silent for a few moments as he thought over what Ford had told him. On the surface of it, the solution seemed surprisingly straightforward. It was possible, of that he was certain, but he also knew it would be incredibly difficult; not to mention dangerous… Even so, from what he'd seen it was the best, and probably the only chance he had of taking down Alpha and rescuing his team. Pushing his doubts to the back of his mind, Jack folded his arms.

"Okay, real plan," he said seriously. "From what you've told me, these Hybrids are pretty much the only reason you haven't crushed Alpha already; right?"

"That and their bases are a pain in the rear to find and destroy," Ford continued.

Jack nodded. "Well in that case, how would you feel about killing two birds with one stone?"

"And just how do you plan on accomplishing that?" Ford questioned, raising an eyebrow.

Jack grinned. "I'm going to capture a Hybrid."

* * *

My dimension: June 2, 2016

"Well," I said, wiping my forehead, "That wasn't nearly as much work as I thought it'd be. I certain am glad I got it finished today, after all tomorrow is my Birthday so I wouldn't really have had much time to work on it then…" I let out a sigh as I realize how quiet the room sounds. "And if you guys are wondering why I'm here all alone, I haven't seen Jack all day. It's weird, despite all his sass he really loves doing these author's notes… I wonder where he is?"

"Don't look now…" said a familiar voice from behind me.

"Jack?" I said, spinning my office chair around. "Where have you…"

My sentence was cut off as I saw Jack holding a small, circular cake with white frosting and the words 'Happy Birthday' written in icing on the top. There was a ring of candles flickering merrily along the outer edge, but I won't say how many.

"Jack..." I said, almost lost for words. "You remembered?"

Jack grinned. "We've been partners for far too long for me to forget now. It's been a few months short of three years since we first met and you've done so much for me in that time, I figured it was about time I did something for you."

I chuckled as I felt tears welling up in my eyes. "Thank you, so much. I really mean it, this means a lot to me. I…"

Jack put the cake down on my desk as my voice betrayed me.

"Come here you…" he said with a chuckle, spreading his arms.

Unable to form any more words, I got up from my chair and Jack gave me a warm hug.

"Happy Birthday, Francis," Jack said with a smirk.

I chuckled, a happy smile playing across my face. "Oh, shut up."

* * *

Me: Anyway folks that's the first chapter of my collab with OseanSoldier, and a little bonus skit to sweeten the deal. I hope you liked it. The next one probably won't be finished quite as quickly as these past few were, although I'll try to get it out before the end of next week at the very latest.

Jack: Until then, peace out.

Me: I cannot believe you actually said that...


	22. Saldaran Storm: P2

"I'm going to capture a hybrid," Jack said with a grin. "Preferably more than one. Doing that would simultaneously weaken Alpha's forces, and we might even be able to get some information out of them regarding the location of their bases."

Ford looked at Jack like he had just grown a tail. After a few seconds, Ford shook his head some.

"Alright, your first plan to try and take down Alpha was crazy; this plan is downright insane," Ford replied.

"But it's not really," Jack said. "I mean, Miss Nova and I held our own against two of those hybrids less than half an hour ago; and if they hadn't teleported away like cowards, we would have beaten them. If we can lure one of them out into the open and pin it down, I think the two of us could definitely capture it; it might not be easy, but I'm sure it's possible."

"You fought two of them, not all five like they usually travel. We got lucky today that all five of them didn't attack us. The other three must still be recovering from the wounds we inflicted at the Citadel," Ford started. "Though I cannot imagine they will be out of the fight for much longer."

Jack nodded. "Good point; but even if all five of them appeared, I could easily teleport one of them away. Preferably several miles away, at which point we could take it down uninterrupted; and in fact that would be optimal, because it would give us the chance to choose our target."

"Jack… this is a war. Nothing ever goes as planned. There is a famous saying in the military of all regions regarding plans; 'No plan of operations extends with certainty beyond the first encounter with the enemy's main strength.' Your plan will not work out how you just laid it out," Ford said.

Jack shrugged. "Probably not, but I still think it's something to consider. After all, as things stand those hybrids are going to keep launching surprise attacks on your bases."

"If they could constantly launch surprise attacks like they just did, we would have already lost this war. This was the first time after three months that they have done so, I don't think it will happen again anytime soon," Ford countered.

"But they will eventually," Jack replied. "And until they do, aren't your forces and Alpha pretty much at a stalemate? They can't take your bases, and you can't find theirs; the hybrids are the tipping point. And even if it takes them a while, they will eventually tip the scales in Alpha's favor."

"They have already tipped the scales in Alpha's favor," Ford started, crossing his arms across his chest. "They have killed thousands of us and we have yet to kill a single one of them. We came close at the Citadel, but they managed to escape. Right now, our Ghosts are holding the front line to great effect. They are our trump card at the moment."

Jack furrowed his brow. "What exactly is a 'Ghost'?"

"Simply put, it's a tank; that is all I can say," Ford answered.

"Fair enough," Jack said. "If I had a trump card, I wouldn't reveal it lightly either. And to be perfectly honest, saying it's a tank is enough description for me anyway."

"Besides, anything we plan together will be hard to act upon. I cannot help you directly," Ford said.

"Because I'm here illegally, right?" Jack said, folding his arms.

"Exactly," Ford started, "You 'escaped' during the battle today. That is what is going in the reports. As for what you do, that will be up to you."

 _"And me,"_ Nova interjected. _"I'm going with him."_

Jack turned to look at her. "How come? If you don't mind me asking."

 _"You are going after what I am going after,"_ Nova answered quietly, her head and ears drooping some.

Jack nodded. "I see." He then turned back to General Ford. "On the other hand if I, somehow or other, happen to find myself in the possession of one of Alpha's hybrids, would you be overly suspicious if it made its way to you?"

"I would be more surprised than anything," Ford replied, crossing his arms as he was still skeptical. "Still, you best get on your way. There isn't much more I could tell you at this point."

"In that case I'll go ahead and make my dumbfounding escape during the heat of battle," Jack said wryly, before saluting. "It's been an honor meeting you, General; I appreciate you allowing me to 'escape'. I hope that someday I'll be able to return the favor. Maybe I'll even get the proper paperwork so I won't have to sneak around anymore."

"Yes, well I look forward to the day we will have finally eradicated Alpha and can live in peace," Ford answered, nodding his head. "I can say that once you did get the proper paperwork, we will gladly have you back if we all survive this war."

"That is something to look forward to," Jack said. "Until then, I wish you good fortune in the war. And Miss Nova, if you want to find me I'll be waiting for you a couple miles north of the base. Farewell."

With that Jack teleported away, although he didn't leave the base immediately. Instead he sent out an auric probe until he found his bag, which he'd had for so long it had actually become slightly imprinted with his auric signature. As such it didn't take him long to find and retrieve it, after which he finally left the base. As he told Nova, he went a good ways to the north just to make sure he didn't run into any soldiers.

After reaching what he considered a safe distance from the base, Jack hopped up into a convenient tree to take inventory. Looking inside his satchel he quickly confirmed that among other things his Bible, Pokédex, and set of trainer clothes were all present. He was especially relieved that no one had inspected the spare set of clothes too carefully because if they had, they might have noticed a thin, palm-sized, pink scale-like object; the Mind Plate. He hadn't looked at it much, or so much as thought about using it, since the incident with the Legendary Bird trio, but he felt that if worst came to worst he might have to use it again.

Jack pulled the Mind Plate out from the bundle of clothing and fingered its smooth surface thoughtfully.

 _"This thing almost destroyed my mind once,"_ he thought to himself, _"So why am I still considering using it? Just because I survived using it once doesn't mean I'd be just as lucky a second time…"_

Reassuring himself that the Mind Plate was nothing more or less than an absolute last resort, a trump card if you will, he put it back among his clothes and resolved to think no more of it. After finding a comfortable position among the upper limbs of the tree, Jack closed his eyes and did his best to relax. He was most likely in for quite a rough time here in Saldara, and he figured that at some point rest would become an unaffordable commodity so he might as well make the most of it while he could.

He wasn't sure how long he lay in the tree with his eyes closed, but eventually he heard a voice which he soon confirmed was Nova's. He couldn't make out any words at first, but as she approached he realized that she was talking to someone. The only problem was that she was alone. Jack mentally shrugged; he couldn't even imagine how losing their mate might affect a person, but maybe talking to oneself was some kind of coping mechanism. He knew that personally he often wished for someone to talk to, it just seemed so quiet without half a dozen Pokémon all talking at once around him…

Jack sighed as he felt a now familiar knot forming in the pit of his stomach. He'd been getting that feeling a lot lately, whenever he thought about how his team was even now in the hands of a ruthless terrorist organisation, and that he couldn't do anything to help them; yet…

At that point Jack realised that while he'd been lost in thought, Nova had come to a stop near his tree. She looked up and Jack waved at her, forcing a happy-go-lucky grin back onto his face.

"Hey there Miss Nova," he called down to her. "You certainly took your time getting here."

"Ah, yeah…." Nova replied, running one of her claws through her blue mane. "Sorry about that."

Jack hopped down from his tree and landed beside Nova. He was about to make a snappy retort of some kind, when he suddenly felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up; as if he was being watched. His instincts had never failed him before, and right now they were telling him that he and Nova were not alone.

"There's someone else here…" he said, furrowing his brow.

Nova glanced to her right, maybe to see if anyone was there. Jack closed his eyes and opened his mind, and immediately became aware of a powerful third aura signature somewhere nearby. He turned his head slightly as he felt the source of the signature change location, but he soon found it again.

Quickly charging up a blast of electricity, Jack pivoted on his heel and fired it into the bushes behind him. The unfortunate shrubbery was blown to smithereens, but Jack scowled as he saw that he hadn't hit anything else.

"Someone's watching us," he said grimly. "I can sense them nearby, but I can't tell exactly where. They seem powerful though…"

Jack concentrated again, trying to more accurate estimate the location of their observer. Then all of a sudden he felt his skin prickle, as though he'd walked through a thick cobweb. He shook his head reflexively, then quickly shored up his mental defenses just in case. He didn't know who was keeping an eye on them, but he didn't think it would be wise to underestimate them.

Then Jack glanced over at Nova, who seemed to be trying not to laugh. Jack put two and two together, and came up with him looking ridiculous.

"I'm making a fool of myself, aren't I," he asked straight-faced, resigning himself to his fate.

Nova nodded as the last of her restraint gave way and gave a short laugh.

"You could say that," Nova replied with a smirk.

"In that case," Jack said, folding his arms, "Would you mind telling me what on Earth that was I sensed? It felt…" he paused, not sure how to describe it. "It felt like I was looking at a distant star; immensely powerful, but a long way away."

"Erm… that sounds about right," Nova replied vaguely, glancing off to the side.

Jack frowned as he noticed Nova's gaze shift to the right again, and once again the pieces started to fall into place.

"So… you can actually see it?" he asked.

"Her, and yes I can," Nova answered.

Jack raised an eyebrow quizzically. "Her?"

"Yes, her," Nova repeated herself. "Why?"

"Is 'she' like your fairy godmother or something?" Jack deadpanned.

"Fairy godmother?" Nova questioned, tilting her head to the side some. "Is that some human thing?"

"So far as I can tell," Jack said, scratching the back of his head. "I've been trying to read up on that kind of thing, but I guess there's no point trying to blend in with humans while I'm travelling with a Pokémon..."

Nova tilted her head even further to the side. Now it was her turn to be thoroughly confused.

"What does that mean?" Nova asked.

Jack shook his head. "Never mind; it's a long story, and I mean a _really_ long story."

"Fair enough, I know exactly what you mean by that," Nova replied.

"Still, you still haven't answered my question," Jack insisted. "What… sorry, 'who' exactly is that aura signature I sensed?"

"Her name is Lauren and she is the relic of an ancient civilization that was destroyed seven-hundred years ago on the west coast of this region. Think of her as a massive, sentient aura source," Nova answered with a straight face.

Jack blinked. "You know, about five minutes ago I thought nothing could surprise me at this point. I stand corrected."

"Sed ego scio quod non sit ultimum tempus," Nova said, waving one of her paws in the air dismissively.

Jack sighed, remarking to himself that weird stuff seemed to seek him out.

"You're probably right about that one too," he said. "Anyway, do you have any ideas as to where we should go? Because I don't really know my way around this region."

"I know a place we can get supplies and is more or less on the way to the area General Ford pointed out on the map," Nova replied as she turned towards the west.

"Sounds good to me," Jack said. "So long as it includes a hot meal and a warm bath, I'm all for it."

Nova nearly exploded with laughter as she stopped walking for a moment.

"Let me guess," Jack said with a sigh of resignation. "Not even close?"

"Not even in the same universe," Nova responded.

Jack perked up at that. "Really?" he asked in mock-excitement.

"Figuratively, not literally," Nova continued, a mischievous smile still present. "The place I'm talking about is a seven-hundred year old civilization."

"I guess that would've been too much to ask for then," Jack said with a shrug. "My luck's not that good."

"You might get the hot meal though. That is unless you like raw meat," Nova stated with a laugh.

Jack shrugged again. "Come to think of it, I don't think either a hot meal or a hot bath is going to be a problem. After all, I can do this."

He snapped his fingers, and his hand was engulfed in a small tongue of fire which crackled merrily.

"Probably not," Nova said with a shrug, the spear on her back rising and falling with her shoulders.

Jack had noticed the weapon before, but this was the first time he'd seen it up close. It was somewhat ornate-looking, a little taller than Nova herself was, and had a downright deadly-looking metal head.

"I didn't know people, human or otherwise, were still using those," Jack stated curiously. "What's the story behind your unique choice of armaments?"

"My hastae?" Nova asked, reaching around and pulling the spear off of her back.

Jack nodded. "Yeah, that. It's not exactly something you'd expect a blue, hybrid Zoroark to be carrying around. Even if you were expecting a blue, hybrid Zoroark to be carrying anything around in the first place."

"I'm not a hybrid," Nova replied, shaking her head, "I could say I'm just a normal Zoroark, but that wouldn't be correct either."

"Alright then," Jack asked, folding his arms. "If you're not a hybrid, or a normal Zoroark, then what exactly are you?"

"In short, Azorian," Nova started, "The longer explanation has more to do with the Core."

"...Which is another word I'm unfamiliar with," Jack said, "So that doesn't really help me."

"The Core is the ancient, sentient aura source I mentioned earlier," Nova replied.

Jack stared at her blankly for a second, then decided that he was in well over his head and it was probably in his best interests to just accept that and move on.

"Okay," he said. "So the invisible person, this 'Core', is responsible for your… 'unique' appearance, and similarly unique moveset. But how exactly?"

"When I evolved, I did so inside the Core. I absorbed parts of its very essence when doing so. My moveset however comes from… less than pleasant means…" Nova said, looking down at the ground some as she finished.

Jack raised an eyebrow quizzically, but didn't pursue the subject. He didn't usually feel like talking about his past either at the best of times, much less to a stranger he'd only met that day.

"Back to your… what did you call it? A Hasty?" Jack asked instead.

"Hastae," Nova corrected, her grip around the spear tightening ever so slightly. "It's the traditional weapon of the Azorian Triarii."

"Two more words I don't know…" Jack said, rubbing the back of his head.

"Azoria was the ancient civilization I mentioned, and Triarii were their elite troops," Nova replied as she looked over her spear.

"And I assume you're pretty handy with it?" Jack stated. "I saw you using it against that Lucario, and it seemed singularly effective."

"That I am; I spent the past three months training to use it effectively," Nova answered.

Jack nodded. "In that case, do you think you could show me a few tricks of the trade some time? Not now, we should probably put as much distance between us and the base as possible before nightfall, but sometime?"

"I suppose I could," Nova started with a faint smile. "And yes, that would probably be for the best. The more ground we cover, the closer we get to our destination."

"Then shall we be off?" Jack asked.

"Certus," Nova answered, nodding her head in confirmation.

The sun was low in the sky was the duo walked towards it. They had made decent progress since leaving the outskirts of Fort Aaron. Nova and Jack had made small talk during the travel with Nova telling the strange human the history of Azoria and Saldara while he told her of his travels in Sinnoh. As of the current moment, the two were walking in relative silence. The only noise coming from Nova as she quietly hummed a song with its gently melody flowing through the air.

"You know one thing I would like to know," Jack said tentatively, "How did you meet that Lucario?"

Nova stopped her humming as she looked over at Jack. She pondered what to say and how to explain it for a few seconds.

"In short, he saved me. Of course back then he was a lot darker and less friendly. I do believe he threatened to punt me over a mountain," Nova answered with a laugh.

"He didn't, I can only assume," Jack replied. "What happened after that?"

"Umm…. right," Nova started, bringing one of her paws up and running it through her mane. "Let's just say we went on a journey to get back home."

Jack nodded, although he was still quite curious. "Fair enough, fair enough. Anyway, it's going to be nightfall soon; do you feel like stopping for the night, or do you think we should keep going a while longer?"

"Here is good," Nova said after looking around a bit before taking the spear off of her back and sitting down.

"In that case," Jack replied, cracking his neck, "I'll go see what I find in the way of dinner; unless you'd rather find your own, of course. I'm not exactly an expert on what Zoroarks typically like to eat."

"Well, I doubt that there are any rivers with fish around here, but I enjoy Oran and Sitrus Berries," Nova answered, lying back down on the ground and setting her spear down next to her. "You don't have to get me food if you don't want, I am capable of getting my own."

Jack shook his head emphatically. "No, it's no trouble at all. Oran and Sitrus, you said? I'll be right back."

Jack quickly teleported away to go look for berries. Although to be honest, the main reason he'd wanted to go was to be alone. It had been hard for him to talk about his travels, and that was while being careful not to talk about anything too… emotional. It was eating away at him from the inside, the feelings of guilt and helplessness. He wasn't sure how much longer he could put a brave face on it. He probably would've broken down already if it hadn't been for Nova, he refused to let her see him cry.

She had her own pain to endure, she didn't need his too.

* * *

Me: Now one thing you'll probably notice if you're keeping up with Osean's story too, is that this chapter and the next one are one chapter in his story. This is because, while I don't think that longer chapters are a bad thing necessarily, I prefer having mine be more bite-sized; something you can just sit down any time and read casually, without having to devote an extended length of time to a single chapter. Like I said though, that's just my personal preference. As such, since Osean seems to like longer chapter, if we write one that goes over 7,00 words or so I'll probably chop it up into two shorter chapters. Just so you know.

Jack: Yes yes, you're sooooo considerate. Can we get to the next chapter already?!


	23. Saldaran Storm: P3

Jack wasn't sure how much longer he could put a brave face on it. He probably would've broken down already if it hadn't been for Nova, he refused to let her see him cry. She had her own pain to endure, she didn't need his too.

A handful of tears rolled unbidden down his cheek, but he quickly mopped them up with his sleeve and went back to picking berries. He'd always had a certain knack for finding food, so it didn't take long before his arms were full of assorted berries. When he felt he had more than enough to make a meal, he teleported back to where Nova was waiting.

When he arrived Jack opened his mouth to say something, but then he stopped when he realized that Nova was humming something. In fact upon listening to it more closely he realised that he'd heard her humming it before.

 _"Oh well,"_ he thought to himself, _"I'll ask about that later. Right now, it's time to eat."_

"Well," Jack said aloud, startling Nova a little, "I couldn't find any Sitrus Berries; but I found plenty of Oran, and some Leppa and Mago berries too. I hear the Leppa berries are really refreshing. I'll cut them up and make a fruit salad or something, how does that sound?"

"Fruit salad?" Nova asked, having stopped her humming when she noticed Jack. "I have usually just eaten them."

Jack shrugged. "That works too; I'm just used to Katana… Well, I'm used to something a little more fancy," he quickly corrected himself, for his own sake. "Only we don't have a lot to work with, and I'm not exactly a master chef, so I thought 'fruit salad'."

"Well…" Nova started, "I think I'm open to trying something new."

"Great, I'll have that ready in no time," Jack said with a smile that, unbeknownst to him, failed at hiding his sadness.

Jack turned around, paused, then turned back to Nova with a worried expression.

"You don't happen to know where I can get some plates or bowls, do you?" he asked.

"Heh heh, that I do not," Nova replied. "Can't you just make some with aura?"

Jack scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "Yeah, I guess; but I haven't exactly mastered that technique yet. I was working on it with… Well, I still have a lot of work to do with making things out of A… aura, but I think I can manage a bowl," he said, his voice cracking a little as he said 'Aura'.

"Well… I can do it if you would like?" Nova offered, her paws becoming engulfed in blue energy.

"You can help if you want," Jack replied, "But now that you mention it, it'll be good training for me; I really do have to get better at auric manifestation, and the only way to do that is to practice."

Nova nodded in response as the aura around her paws died out.

Jack held up his right hand, leaving only his left to support the handful of berries he'd gathered. He visibly concentrated, and a bowl of luminous blue energy appeared in his palm. He transferred the berries into the bowl, freeing up his left hand in which he then conjured an auric knife; a very simple one, without much detail, but it would work just the same.

Jack sat down on the ground and began paring the berries, chopping them up, and placing them into a second bowl he summoned. Creating and maintaining three objects at once was quite a challenge for him, seeing as how he hadn't trained in quite a while. Still, he had the fruit salad ready within a few minutes after which he and Nova split it between themselves and sat on a fallen tree to eat.

"So," Jack asked as they were about halfway through their meal, "Is it good?"

"It is certainly interesting," Nova answered as she popped another piece of a berry into her mouth. She had made her own bowl of aura, a much crisper one than Jack's, to reduce the work Jack had to do. "Usually I just eat individual berries and raw meat or fish."

Jack nodded. "Yeah, I know what you mean. Someone once told me though that preparing it all nicely, even if it's something as simple as a fruit salad, it makes it special for the work you put into it. Not to mention it tastes better."

"It does taste better, I will admit that," Nova said as she ate another piece of fruit. After that, the two ate in relative silence enjoying the simple, yet tasty meal Jack had prepared. Once Nova finished, the aura bowl she had been using dissipated into the the air.

"Well, thanks for the food, Jack," Nova complimented as she nodded her head towards Jack.

Jack smiled, although it was once again tinted with sadness as he once again remembered how he used to eat meals like this with his team. Katana had taught him just about everything he knew about preparing food...

"No problem," he said, forcing himself to keep from choking up. "It was my pleasure. I'm just glad you enjoyed it."

Nova smiled faintly back at Jack before she sat down with her back against a tree, leaning her spear against it. She reached around her back to a small pouch that was on her leather sling. Reaching into it, Nova pulled out a small block of partially carved wood as a blade of aura formed in her paw. For the third time that day, Nova started humming the same song.

Jack sighed, half with relief at a chance to divert his attention. "Okay, it's about time I asked; what is that you've been humming all day?"

Nova looked up towards Jack as the knife in her paws dissipated into the air. She was silent for a few seconds before she let out a sigh.

"Corde et Animo," Nova answered. "Heart of Courage in your language. Its an old Azorian song."

"Does it have words to go along with the tune?" Jack asked.

"That it does..." Nova replied after a while as she looked back down at the recently started wood carving, the only thing visible so far was a set of long, pointed ears.

"Would you mind singing them?" Jack replied curiously.

Nova nodded her head as she sat up a bit straighter. She closed her eyes as she let the melody play through her head, softly humming the first bit of the song before she started singing:

"The promise; Redemption, This time we fight for freedom; The dreamer, Awaking, Shattered by love; The courage, Together, We lean against destruction; Salvation, remission, Wait, my new world; We take it, We save it, Our hearts unite each other; The one who, Dies with you, Follow your path soldier; We face it, We save it, Until our last breath fading; Wherever, don't matter, Burning love for Gaia."

Nova finished as she opened her eyes again, looking over to where Jack was sitting. The boy's eyes were closed as well, as entranced by the music as she was.

"Beautiful…" he muttered as Nova concluded her singing. "Where did you learn it?"

"My… my mate taught it to me…" Nova answered as she closed her eyes, her head hanging down some as a lone teardrop started to form in her eye.

"You really love him, don't you," Jack said solemnly.

Nova remained silent but slowly nodded her head. After taking a deep breath, she opened her eyes again and looked over at Jack.

"Yes… I yearn for him to be at my side again," Nova replied in a quiet voice.

Jack nodded, his own eyes starting to tear up as well. "Yeah, I know how that feels. Although… I've never been in love before; I can only imagine how much more it must hurt for you."

"It feels like someone removed part of my soul… I had felt lonely before I had met him, but now… it is a whole new kind of pain…" Nova said as she clenched her paws. Although Jack couldn't see her, Lauren was standing next to Nova with a paw on her shoulder.

Jack didn't say anything; there was nothing to say. He didn't know what to do; he was barely keeping himself from crying, how was he supposed to cheer up a Zoroark who had lost her mate?

"We will get him back," Jack said softly, almost without thinking. "I promise you that. We will both get back the people we love."

"I… I had picked up on something you said earlier. That Alpha had taken someone close to you as well. Who did they steal away from you?" Nova asked as she brought up one of her paws and rubbed away some of the salty tears that gathered around her eyes.

Jack looked up to the sky, which was darkening as the sun set; painting the sky a myriad of colors and allowing the other stars to shine through. After a moment of staring at the stars, making sure his voice wouldn't crack as he spoke, Jack looked Nova in the eyes.

"Everyone I ever loved," he said simply.

Nova was visibly taken aback by Jack's words, and he guessed that maybe he was being a little bit... melodramatic.

 _"Perhaps I'd better explain myself a little better than that,"_ He thought to himself.

"Well, I suppose that's not strictly true," he said with a sigh. "While Alpha took away most of my family, they haven't found my mother and father yet; but if I go back to them without destroying Alpha first, I'd be leading them right to my home. They've effectively cut me off from everyone I care about, simply because I can't afford to put them in danger. It's almost worse, in a way; knowing that they might be kidnapped at any moment and I'd be too far away to protect them…"

At that point, Jack's voice gave out and he stopped to wipe his sleeve across his eyes. He'd promised himself that he wouldn't cry in front of Nova, but he just couldn't hold it back any longer.

Nova slowly stood up from the tree she was leaning against, leaving both her spear and the wood carving she was working on as she walked over towards Jack. She sat back down on the log next to him as she leaned back and looked towards the sky.

"I can't say I know that feeling…" Nova started, "For most of my life I have been alone. I was run out of my home by my own father at a young age. He made sure that as many of the other Pokémon in the forest wouldn't help me either. A few still did, but it wasn't an easy time for me. I survived by disguising as a human and getting scraps of food from a nearby town. It was soon after that I was captured by Alpha. The pain they put me and the other Pokémon through was nerve shattering. They hooked us up to machines that forced us to learn every move our species could.

"We were all transferred to a different location after that. I don't know what happened after that, but we all managed to escape. Something knocked out the power and all of us unconscious, including the guards. Once again I was on my own in a land that I did not know or recognize. Everything about it was different, yet similar at the same time. That was when Lucario saved me the first time…"

Nova paused then, unsure of what to say or if she should continue or not. She wasn't entirely sure why she was telling Jack this, but Lauren had said that talking about things always made them easier to bear.

"My story isn't nearly so sad," Jack said quietly, staring up at the sky again. "I don't remember my parents. My earliest memories are of my adoptive mother and father, who found me in a basket in the woods. I don't know who my real parents were, or why they left me in the woods that day; but my adoptive parents more than made up for it. Looking back on it now, those were the happiest days of my life. In the woods with my new mother, father, and little brother… They were Lucarios, all of them."

Jack chuckled slightly at Nova's expression. "Yeah, I guess I probably should've mentioned that sooner. It just seems so… normal to me at this point. I never really questioned it. I guess, maybe because I didn't want to question it. I wanted it to go on forever… But eventually, I grew up and wanted to see what was out there. So my brother, Jason, and I left our home and went on… what could only be described as an adventure; and what an adventure it was…"

"You know… That explains a lot," Nova said with a small laugh. "A human raised by Pokémon. Not the craziest thing I have heard, but it is up there."

"Yeah," Jack agreed. "It's not the craziest thing I've ever heard either. I've seen people who make you and me seem normal…"

"Pft, me, normal? Not possible," Nova started, a small smile tugging at her muzzle before the sad smile from earlier returned. "At least not right now…"

Jack looked her in the eyes, a smug glimmer returning to his own. "I met a Lucario who was part Pikachu, and part Zoroark; and was also a mystical several-thousand year old guardian of light, chosen as the heir of Arceus, and who could transform into a different body for each elemental type. And I'm not even kidding."

Nova looked at Jack a bit incredulously, unsure of what to say or think for a bit.

"My advice," Jack commented, "Don't think about it too hard, you'll give yourself a headache. I speak from experience."

"If you say so," Nova said with a short laugh before letting out a sigh. She looked down at her blue and black paw before squeezing it shut and looking back up to the now darkened sky. "None of this has been easy for me, especially after my mate almost killed me. I was a mess three months ago, only making it because of a few friends that cared about my wellbeing. Lauren being chief among them. And… well I guess right now I have you." Nova finished with a sad smile.

Jack looked over at the blue Zoroark and did his best to return the smile. "Well, I'm certainly glad I could help. You've certainly helped me a lot so far, in a lot of ways. I can only hope I'll be able to fully return the favor."

Nova's smile grew a bit more, becoming a more genuine smile as she wiped the last of the tears away from her eyes. For the last few months Lauren had always comforted her, and had done an amazing job helping her, but she could only do so much. As Lauren constantly joked though, she lacked a physical body.

"Thank you, Jack," Nova said as she stood up off of the log.

"Like I said," Jack replied, also standing up, "It's my pleasure. Besides, I really..."

Before Jack could continue, Nova wrapped her arms around him. Her head pressed against his chest lightly as she let out a content sigh. Jack was momentarily taken aback, but he smiled sadly as he realized that Nova probably hadn't had anyone to hug for quite some time. She just needed to know that someone was there beside her, a shoulder she could lean on. So to speak, seeing as she only came up to his chest.

Jack hesitated a moment then returned the hug, wrapping his left arm around Nova's shoulders and tousling her thick mane of fur with his right. He felt her relax a little when he did so. It almost felt like he was comforting a child, what with the height difference. It made him feel a strange sense of protectiveness for the Zoroark, just like the kind he felt for all his friends; his family.

"Don't worry," he said softly. "Everything is going to be alright."

Nova let out a pent up breath that she didn't know she'd been holding. While it wasn't the same as having Lucario embrace her, it still felt relaxing.

"Thank you…" Nova muttered as she released Jack and took a few steps back. "I've only had the occasional paw on the shoulder over the past three months."

A truly happy smile tugged at the corner of Jack's mouth for the first time in far too long.

"Lucario really is lucky," he told Nova. "He has you to come back to once we free him."

"That is true," Nova replied as she looked up at Jack. "I suppose it is time I stopped dwelling on the past and looked to the future."

Jack nodded. "Sounds like a good piece of advice I once received. And for the two of us, the future starts with a good night's sleep. Sound like a plan?"

"Sleep does sound nice, but there is something I have to do for a bit first," Nova answered as she walked back over to the tree against which her spear was leaning. She crouched and picked up the small piece of wood she had set down earlier. A blade of pure aura materialized in her paw once again as she sat down against the tree.

"You Dark-types and your late nights," Jack said with a good-natured chuckle. "Well, if you need me I'll be fast asleep. Don't wake me up unless it's important, or else you're in for a brisk jog."

With that, Jack headed over a particularly bushy tree and vaulted up into it. After finding a cluster of sturdy branches on which to sprawl, he was soon dead to the world. Snoring ever so quietly in his deep sleep. Nova let out a soft chuckled at the odd human before looking back down at the small carving she had been working on.

Truth be told though, Jack didn't fall asleep quite as quickly as he seemed to. Instead he sat in his tree breathing deeply and evenly, adding in a little snoring for good measure. He'd been told before that he snored, so it seemed like a wise detail to add. While pretending to be asleep, what he was really doing was reading.

He still remembered what Jason had said on the day he and the others had been kidnapped.

 _"What happened Jack? You used to love reading your Bible, and you made sure to pray every night before bed. I'm worried about you…"_

Jack felt tears welling up in his eyes again. He'd made a promise to Jason then, and he could never live with himself if he didn't keep it; especially now. So he pulled out his little fake-leather bound Bible, the same one Father Lucario had given him as a Christmas present years ago, and he read. The only light he needed came from a little ball of aura he summoned, not bright enough to be seen through the foliage of the tree. He read for at least an hour, although he didn't bother pulling out his Pokédex for an exact time.

He had decided to start from the beginning, so that night he read through the first several chapter of Genesis. He especially meditated on the story of Noah, and he wondered at how Noah must have felt getting on that ark; knowing that outside, everything and everyone he ever knew would soon be destroyed without a trace. Noah must have been so afraid, afraid for himself and for his family, but he persevered through it all because he knew that God was in complete control. Noah knew that God had planned out every tiny detail, and he trusted God even in the middle of the storms and the waves.

 _"God,"_ Jack prayed, for the first time in far too long, _"Please help me and give me strength. Don't let me give in to despair and self-pity. Help me to remember that you are in control of everything that happens, and that not even a single hair falls from our heads without you knowing about it. Please help me trust you, and trust that you will work everything out for our good and your glory. In Jesus name, Amen."_

With that, Jack slept peacefully until morning.

* * *

Jack yawned as he opened his eyes to the misty grey of pre-dawn, painting the woods with an almost surreal look as the faint light highlighted every detail in the leaves and bark of the trees. Jack loved the early morning for this very reason, everything felt so fresh and new. Everything except for Jack himself of course, who was usually pretty much a zombie until around nine o'clock.

To combat his early morning zombieness, Jack decided to sit down and meditate. Nova still hadn't woken up yet and was still snoozing peacefully a little ways away, so he made sure not to disturb her.

Sitting on the ground and crossing his legs, Jack focused on and expanded his own aura until it surrounded him; feeling it swirl around him in powerful currents. His entire being was written in that tempest, and he felt it crackle with anticipation; waiting eagerly, just as he was, to be released after being kept in check for so long. He once again felt a stab of sadness as he missed the comforting feeling of Jason's aura, which he always felt when they meditated together each morning.

Before long though he felt another mind touch his own. He quickly recoiled from it and raised his mental barriers, but then he realised that it was just Nova. Jack hadn't noticed her get up, but evidently she felt he had the right idea by doing some early morning meditation. Lowering the walls he'd erected, Jack allowed his mind to drift into hers and vice versa. Nova's mind was full of sadness, but he could also feel that she had experienced great joy; which only made the sadness all the more deep.

Nova seemed hesitant to let their auras touch each other though, which Jack didn't really understand. He supposed, after further consideration, that allowing your auras to mix could be construed as a very personal experience; and one that required a lot of trust. After all, you were literally baring every corner of your soul to the other person. He'd never really thought about it like that, but aside from when he was meditating he tended to keep his aura to himself anyway; he'd only ever opened it completely to his mother, father, and Jason.

Feeling his aura filling with sadness, Jack pulled away from Nova's mind and retreated back inside his own. That was more than enough meditation for one day anyway. Controlling his physical form once more, which he realized had been floating in midair while he meditated, Jack looked around for Nova before realizing that she had climbed to the top of a tree.

"Good morning up there," Jack called out, looking up at her. "Feel like having some breakfast?"

Nova jumped down from her perch on the tree, landing on all four of her paws as she used aura to break her impact against the ground.

"Morning," Nova answered as she stood up and looked over to where Jack was still floating. "And yes, breakfast sounds like a great idea."

"Alright then," Jack replied, uncrossing his legs and lowering himself onto them. "I'll go see if I can scrounge something up; this early in the morning, I might actually be able to catch some meat for us too. How's that sound?"

"That actually sounds really nice," Nova said with a faint smile.

"Great," Jack said with a grin. "I'll see what I can do then."

With that, Jack teleported away with an electrical crackle and a rush of displaced air. He returned a while later carrying an auric bowl full of assorted fruit in his left hand, and a pair of freshly caught quail in his right.

"Welcome back!" Nova greeted cheerfully as Jack walked over to where she was sitting.

"I found us some meat," Jack reported with a grin. "How do you take it? I can do anything from extra-rare to charcoal."

"Ha, I think I will take mine raw," Nova replied with a short laugh, setting down the small wooden statue and dissolving her blade of aura.

"Suit yourself," Jack said with a shrug, handing her one of the quails he'd found. "Personally, I'd rather not get food poisoning; or indigestion."

"Humans," Nova deadpanned.

Jack sat down a few feet from Nova, placed the bowl of fruit on the ground, and set about cooking the remaining quail. It soon became apparent that he'd done that sort of thing before, as he summoned a bright orange flame in his left hand and began charring the feathers off. Once he'd completely defeathered the bird, he systematically disassembled it with an auric knife.

"I usually do it telekinetically," he explained as he worked. "It's a lot quicker and easier that way; and less messy. But once again, keeping multiple objects materialised is good practise."

"I see," Nova replied as she too worked her way through the feathers of the bird Jack had handed her, making her way to the meat that was below it.

Once Jack had cut away the parts he intended to eat, he turned up the heat of the flame in his hand and started actually cooking the meat.

"Are you sure you don't want me to cook yours too?" Jack asked. "It's really good; if you get it just right, it practically falls apart in your mouth. And the juices… Well, anyway; it's good."

"I'm good. My stomach doesn't really agree with cooked meat all that well," Nova answered before taking the first bite from her quail.

Jack chuckled slightly. "I figured as much; Lucy's just the same, doesn't like cooked meat. Unless it's on pizza, then she's fine with it."

"Pizza?" Nova questioned quizzically, tilting her head some with an ear pointed out to the side.

"It's a human food I discovered a few months ago," Jack explained. "It's really good. My…" he paused, and his grin melted away. "My friends and I… we loved eating pizza together."

Jack looked up at the early morning sky; the sun just starting to peek out above the horizon, making everything seem to glow with new life. As he looked up at the clouds overhead, a single tear rolled down his cheek; which he quickly flicked away, as though it had offended him.

"I'm going to find them," he said, his voice cracking with restrained emotion. "I'm going to find them…"

A low, sad whine escaped Nova's muzzle as she watched Jack, her ears falling some to the sides. She remained silent for a bit before speaking.

"We will get them back," Nova started, trying to sound as reassuring as possible. "All of them."

Jack nodded, visibly forcing his sadness down and putting a smile on his face; it was to his credit that it didn't look completely fake.

"Thanks," he replied, his voice even again. "I know we will."

"So… who trained you to fight?" Nova asked, hoping to change the subject.

Jack acknowledged her efforts with an appreciative nod. "My adoptive parents. Being Lucarios, they made sure I knew how to defend myself. That, and I also got quite a bit of martial arts training from a friend of mine a while ago. She's a real master of hand to hand combat. Almost everything I know about close quarters combat, she taught me. What about you?"

"Well… My mate taught me most of what I know, but I was a pretty decent fighter before he took me under his wing," Nova started. "He just refined the raw power I had into something more focused. I also trained for the past three months at Axiom. That was where I learned how to use my Hastae."

"The spear, yeah," Jack commented. "I've got to say, I'd love to see what you can do with that thing."

"I can do quite a bit with it," Nova replied as she set down the quail she had been eating and set her spear across her lap. "It did come in quite handy yesterday."

"I was kinda preoccupied then," Jack said, scratching the back of his head. "I didn't really pay much attention to what you were doing."

"I can relate to that," Nova laughed, "Though I did feel that Thunderbolt you used. It was quite impressive."

Jack chuckled slightly. "Yeah, that's a trick I developed a while ago; it's come in handy a few times against particularly annoying opponents."

"So it would seem. I would hate to be on the receiving end of that. My fur was standing on end despite the distance between us at the time," Nova said with a smile. "It felt rather odd."

"And I'd hate to be on the receiving end of that," Jack replied with a smirk, gesturing to the Hastae, "Literally."

Nova started laughing at Jack's words, her eyes darting to the tip of the spear. "I see your point."

Jack facepalmed, but he was laughing as well. "Oh good grief, that was bad…"

"I know it was," Nova continued, laughing a bit harder from the response Jack had given.

Jack sighed, unable to stop grinning. "We really should get moving if we actually want to get anywhere. And just so you know, you have entered into a world of pain; I've never once lost a pun war, and I don't intend to start now."

"Well, they don't call my species the Illusion Fox Pokémon for no reason," Nova said with a smirk.

Jack nodded. "True. I've only ever met a Zoroark once before, and he was… kinda special, so I guess I didn't really know what to expect when I met you. The two of you are a lot alike actually."

Nova huffed and rolled her eyes. "Great… competition for the 'special and unique Zoroark' award."

Jack chuckled, but there was a mischievous glint in his eye. "You know, he and I had a battle when we met; he beat me, but it was a near thing. If you want the title of 'special and unique Zoroark' all to yourself, maybe you should try one-upping him."

Nova smirked at Jack's hinted suggestion. She stretched her arms above her head with her claws interlocked. "If it is a spar you want, you could have just asked. Though I will gladly take the award as well."


	24. The Azorians

"So, we're agreed?" Jack said as he and Nova faced each other down. "Spears only?"

"Ummm… well, wouldn't you be lacking a spear then?" Nova stated, slightly confused at Jack's proposition.

Jack grinned. "Oh come on, you can't have forgotten this quickly."

Jack held out his hand as blue light started collecting in it, solidifying into a rod of auric energy that was almost as long as he was tall. Jack twirled the quarter-staff in one hand before stopping its rotation with the other. He then settled into a fighting stance with his left side facing Nova, holding the staff in front of him with his hands about a foot from the ends.

"I suppose that will work," Nova replied with a smirk, grabbing her Hastae off of her back. She twirled it around in her paws a few times before leveling the point towards Jack. "I do prefer the real thing though."

"Yeah," Jack agreed, "But like you said, I don't really have one of those. Anyway, let's get started. I'm eager to see exactly how good you are."

"The last time someone said that, they ended up thoroughly surprised," Nova said.

"To be perfectly honest," Jack continued, "You're probably a lot better with your spear than I am with a staff. It's been a long, long time since I used one and even longer since I really trained with it. Still, I don't plan on going down without a fight."

"Then let us begin," Nova nodded as she took a few steps forward, keeping her eyes glued on Jack.

Jack knew that in terms of technique he was seriously outmatched here, but he also knew that he had an equally significant advantage in speed. As such, he decided that it was in his best interests to take control of the flow of the battle as quickly as possible. Even so, he was hesitant to rush in blindly. He had no idea what Nova was capable of, so he waited.

Once Nova was within striking distance of Jack, she thrust her spear towards his right shoulder. Before her attack got anywhere near him however, Jack whipped his staff up and knocked it to the side in the blink of an eye.

Before Nova could fully recover from her failed attack, Jack lashed out with his staff at her torso. Nova swiftly ducked underneath his attack, bringing the rear end of her Hastae around and attempting to sweep his feet out from under him but Jack hopped backwards to avoid the attack, then lunged forward and bringing the top end of his staff down at her from above. For all his speed it was a sloppy attack, and he left himself wide open. While Nova was still low to the ground, it gave her a certain advantage as she hastily turned around and extended her hind paw towards Jack's gut as he came at her.

To Nova's surprise, Jack used Psychic on himself to slow to a stop before he ran into her paw. Knocking her leg aside with his staff, Jack thrust the tip at her prone back. She quickly dropped to the ground and rolled out of the way before springing back up onto her feet a bit away from Jack.

Jack didn't give her any time to breath however and closed in, keeping up a somewhat sloppy-looking guard. Even so, Nova knew that sloppy as it was Jack could still react fast enough to deflect almost anything she threw at him. Once Jack was within striking distance again, he shifted his grip on the staff and swung it back-hand towards her at waist height.

Nova waited until the last second before bringing her spear vertical and spinning it around, effectively deflecting his attack and momentarily leaving him open to an attack. Moving as fast as she could, Nova once again struck out with her hind paw, attempting to strike Jack while both their weapons were occupied.

Jack, his eyes glued to Nova's spear, didn't see her leg coming until it was too late. The blow landed square on his midriff and flung him backwards a ways, sending him tumbling across the ground. Nova smirked as she landed the first blow of the match, though it hadn't exactly been easy.

Jack didn't stay down for long, and instead rolled to his feet several meters away from his opponent. Jack scowled as he wiped some dirt from his face, this wouldn't be an easy fight. Nova was even more skilful than he'd anticipated, and the fact that she was on the offensive made the difference in skill even more telling. If he didn't gain some momentum quickly, he wouldn't have a chance.

Not even pausing to catch his breath, Jack darted forward; feinting to Nova's right side while preparing to switch direction mid-strike and strike at her left. Nova's right hind paw slid backwards ever so slightly as Jack got closer, but he didn't notice; once again completely tunnel-visioned. At the last second, when Nova seemed vulnerable to her left, Jack switched the direction of his attack. Nova moved simultaneously, ducking under the attack while spinning right under it before bringing the rear end of her spear around towards Jack's back.

Then, the exact moment Jack felt Nova's spear connect with his back, a rush of sensation hit him like an avalanche and swept him away into another world.

 _"It's another dream,"_ Jack thought to himself as he drifted into the memories.

After his first dream on Lily of the Valley Island, Jack had gone several nights without having any dreams at all. He'd hoped that it was a one-off thing, but evidently that wasn't the case. As it played out however, Jack noticed that it wasn't quite like his first dream. Whereas the first dream was one cohesive scene, this one was more… fragmented; a series of quick flashes, each one different and each one flooding his mind with new thoughts. Just like the first dream however, each new idea seemed to slot seamlessly into his mind as if it was meant to be there.

He could barely make out the first handful of images, but in each one he seemed to be holding something in his hand. He could almost feel the weight of it; familiar, calming even. As more images flashed by he could make out the general shape of the object; a metallic rod a few feet long. A sword? Yes, that was it; he was using a sword.

Then, one last image flooded his mind and lingered for a few seconds. He was back in the same place as his first dream, and the skull-headed figures were closing in on him. Now though he could see them more clearly, and he realized that their entire bodies were nothing but sun-bleached bones covered with scraps of leather armour.

They were wielding an assortment of rusty swords and axes in their skeletal hands, but they were slow and clumsy. These mindless thralls were no match for a skilled warrior, and Jack had trained with a sword ever since he was a child.

Jack darted forward, his right hand going down to his left hip. In one fluid motion Jack drew his sword and lashed out at the nearest skeleton. He felt a surge of satisfaction as the monster's head toppled from its shoulders, and the whole thing crumpled into a lifeless pile of bones. Now he just had to deal with the others…

Jack opened his eyes to find himself lying on the ground, his back smarting where Nova's blow had landed. He felt like he'd just run a marathon; his breathing was quick and shallow, his heartbeat had spiked, and he could feel his entire body breaking out in a cold sweat. He looked numbly down at his hands to see them shaking uncontrollably.

 _"What's happening to me?"_ Jack asked, although he was afraid of the answer.

After realizing that Nova was looking at him funny, Jack shook his head and took a few deliberately deep breaths; forcing himself to his feet. He managed to stand, but he was still shaking all over.

 _"This isn't good,"_ he thought to himself. _"That dream knocked me for a loop. If something like this happens in the middle of a real fight…"_

He left that thought unfinished, he didn't like to think about things like that. Even so these new dreams, these memories, scared him in more ways than one. Not only were they completely impossible, but he had absolutely no control over them and this second one seemed to take a massive toll on his body.

"Are you alright?" Nova asked, obviously concerned for his health.

Jack took another few deep breaths and tried to calm down. "I'm alright," he said, the colour returning to his face. "Let's keep going."

"Are you sure?" Nova asked hesitantly.

"Yeah," Jack insisted. "I'm fine, really. I just had a sort of… flashback, I guess."

 _"That's one way to put it at least,"_ he thought wryly.

"If you say so," Nova said, still somewhat confused at Jack's vagueness. She too re-formed her battle stance.

Jack took a second longer to catch his breath, then he darted forward again. This time however he was a little more cautious, and he kept his guard up while trying not to make any obvious moves. As soon as he was within easy striking distance, Jack thrust with the point of his staff at Nova's chest.

Nova's eyes were steeled as she tracked her opponent. He seemed to have caught a second wind, although he obviously wasn't at one-hundred percent. While his rush was rather brash, she knew he was most likely still fast enough to manage to hit her if she tried to dodge, so instead she tried to deflect his staff yet again.

Nova knocked away Jack's thrust with ease, but barely a split second later he'd spun on his heel like a top and brought his staff around to her left; with all the momentum of his spin behind it. Nova just barely managed to duck under the spinning staff, the tip of it just nicking her ear.

Before she could take advantage of the opening, Jack planted his foot to stop his spin and lashed out at Nova's right. Still reeling from the previous attack, Nova could only hastily position her spear in a manner to absorb some of the energy from the blow as it plowed against her side. Jack allowed his blow to bounce off Nova's spear, bringing the other end of his staff around to strike from below.

With her spear now out of position and above her, Nova was in no position to block the incoming attack. Jack's staff struck her right shoulder, but it was only a glancing blow. The blow caused Nova to stagger a little bit, but it didn't hit as hard as Jack had hoped. Using the momentum from the hit, Nova spun around and aimed her hind paw at Jack's side.

Jack was wise to that trick by that point, and brought his staff around to block the kick. However, there was still enough power behind the attack to make Jack stumble backwards slightly. Not letting the opportunity go to waste, Nova pressed her attack. She brought the rear end of her spear down towards Jack's shoulder, and Jack just barely managed to knock it aside with the tip of his staff.

 _"Not good,"_ Jack thought. _"I can't let her gain any momentum."_

Pivoting, Jack brought the bottom of his staff up at Nova's left side hoping to slip underneath her guard. Somewhat disappointed and surprised at the same time that Jack managed to deflect her attack, Nova quickly jumped out of the way. She once again just barely managed to dodge his counter attack.

Jack kept the pressure on with a thrust to her chest, but Nova noticed that his stance was starting to slip again. Deciding that if she was going to strike it would have to be now, Nova nudged Jack's staff down to the right allowing it to dart past her. Before Jack could recover, Nova dodged to the left and swung the butt of her spear at Jack's unguarded right side. Even with his speed, there was no way Jack could bring his staff around in time to block it.

Nova's blow hit something, but it wasn't Jack. Nova barely had time to lean backwards as something whistled through the air no more than an inch from her face. She backed up a little ways and brought her guard back up, and as she did so she realized what had happened. Jack's staff was gone, and in Jack's right hand instead was a rod of aura about half the length. No, not a rod; a sword.

Jack stared numbly at the weapon in his hand. Except for it being blue and transparent, it was an exact copy of the one from his latest dream. A thin, arrow-straight, two-edged blade about a meter long which tapered sharply about an inch from the tip. It was a weapon made primarily for parrying and thrusting, but also strong and sharp enough to slash clean through almost anything. How did he know that though? More importantly, how had he stopped Nova's attack so effortlessly with a weapon he'd never used before…

Then it hit him. If those memories really were his then, as impossible as it might seem, maybe he really had trained with a sword at some point. He didn't know when, and he had no idea why or how he could've forgotten, but now that his memories were starting to return…

 _"Maybe whatever skill I had with a sword has come back too…"_

That, he decided, was an idea he had to test. He settled into another combat stance with his right side facing Nova and his sword in front of him.

"I thought you said spears only," Nova said with a smirk.

Jack shrugged. "Hey, I'll take whatever help I can get at this point. Besides, now I kinda want to test something..."

"Test something?" Nova repeated. Once again, one of her ears flopped to the side in confusion.

"Never mind," Jack said. "Let's keep going. This shouldn't take too much longer, one way or the other."

"I agree," Nova nodded in agreement with a small smile, a determined, competitive look appearing on her face.

For all Jack's bravado, he wasn't feeling too confident about his newfound 'skills'. He tried to mimic what he'd seen in the memories, but it was all so fuzzy. The sword felt awkwardly weighted in his hand, and he had no idea what to do with it. At least with his staff he'd remembered some of his training, but this was like trying to brush off a cobweb; he knew it was there, but no matter how hard he looked he couldn't find it.

What he did before, deflecting Nova's attack and then instantly counter-attacking, he had no idea how to pull that off. He hadn't planned it out, it happened without him even thinking. It was almost like… like his body had moved instinctively; performing a set of motions he'd practised and drilled until it was a reflex...

 _"I still can't remember the first thing about fighting with a sword,"_ he realized, _"But my body knows the moves even if my mind doesn't… Well, let's see if I'm right."_

With new determination, Jack settled a little lower and tightened his stance up slightly, making it clear that he wasn't going to be making the first move. Nova once again slowly started inching forward, her eyes watching Jack carefully. She didn't know entirely what to expect, but then again, she hadn't really known what to expect throughout this spar. Once she was close enough, she lunged her spear low towards Jack's feet.

Jack hopped backwards to avoid the spear thrust, but Nova quickly twirled the rear end of her Hastae around as she continued forward. Then, Jack felt it; he saw Nova's attack coming and, without any conscious thought on his part, his body started to move. A split second before Nova's attack landed, Jack swept his sword up and stopped it cold. Almost before Jack realized what was happening, he had switched from defence to offence. In one fluid motion, his block transitioned flawlessly into a lightning fast swipe down at her right shoulder.

Nova's eyes widened in shock as she quickly, with a burst of aura to her legs, managed to just ever so slightly get out of the way of the auric weapon. Jack followed through with the stroke but, to his own surprise, he didn't overbalance. Jack could feel his body acting on pure instinct, unguided by conscious thought. His stance was tight, his balance perfect, his eyes automatically scanning every detail of his surroundings, and his sword nothing more than an extension of his arm. A very dangerous extension.

 _"So this is what it feels like,"_ Jack thought, slightly awestruck, _"To be a master swordsman."_

Reveling in the exhilarating sensation of being one with his weapon, Jack rushed in with an overhand slash to Nova's right shoulder. Nova was more prepared this time however, having settled into a defensive mindset and was more than ready for the attack as she deflected it with her Hastae and attempted to counter with the rear end it. Jack didn't miss a beat and blocked it with his sword, sliding the blade down the length of the spear shaft towards Nova's paws. Seeing what Jack was attempting to do, Nova instantly twirled her weapon around, flinging Jack's sword off of its wooden shaft.

Jack hopped backwards out of reach of any counter-attacks then dived right back in with a low backhanded swipe, once again to the Zoroark's right side. Nova once again deflected the skilled attack, but Jack just let his blade slide off her spear and then transition flawlessly into a thrust to her chest. Nova freed one of her paws from her spear, covering it in aura and using it to block Jack's attack, but before she even knew what had happened she found Jack's hand on her stomach. A split second later she was flung backwards by a powerful Force Palm.

Nova rolled a few meters before coming to a stop, but before she could even get up Jack was beside her with his auric sword barely an inch away from her neck.

"Checkmate," Jack said with a grin of satisfaction, feeling the adrenaline still coursing through his body.

"Checkmate?" Nova asked quizzically, but getting the general meaning. "Is that another human thing?"

Jack shrugged. "I guess so. It's from a well-known game, and it's what you say when you win."

"Well then, I guess that it seems fitting enough," Nova replied.

Jack dissolved his aura blade and held out his hand to Nova, who reached up with one of her paws and took his hand.

"Thanks," Nova said as Jack helped her to her feet. He shook her body trying to get the dirt that had accumulated on her fur off of it. "You did quite well there at the end, though I do believe using a sword violated the term of the spar."

"And kicking me in the gut didn't?" Jack shot back without missing a beat, his grin taking on a mischievous slant.

"Would you have rather been hit by my spear or my hind paw?" Nova retorted with a sly smile.

"Point taken," Jack deadpanned. "In my defence though, I didn't exactly plan to switch weapons. It just sort of… happened."

"Fair enough…" Nova resigned as she started back towards where they'd left their things.

As they walked Jack tried to hold on to how he felt during the battle, but as the adrenaline faded from his system so too did the feeling. He couldn't remember half the moves he'd pulled during the final moments of the sparring match, but at least he had a starting point.

 _"Whatever it takes,"_ he resolved, _"I'm going to relearn everything I ever knew about swordfighting."_

Looking over at Nova, Jack noticed that the Zoroark was glancing off to the side again. As if she was looking at something he couldn't see.

"Talking with your invisible friend again?" Jack commented off-handedly, not sure if it was rude to point it out; or if he was intruding on their conversation or something.

Nova was stirred back to reality by Jack's voice.

"Oh… yes I was," Nova said as she rubbed the back of her head with her paw. "So… What happened with you there at the end? You were like a totally different fighter."

Jack scratched the back of his head thoughtfully, not entirely sure what, if anything, he should tell her.

"Well…" he started, deciding to at least try to explain it, "It's kinda hard to explain. I'm not entirely sure myself, but I do have a theory of sorts. Trouble is, it's impossible."

"Trust me, with what I have seen, I doubt anything is impossible," Nova deadpanned.

"You make a valid point, but still…" Jack said with a sigh. "You see, I've been having these dreams lately. Really strange dreams, like something from another world. Except for some reason, and I really have no idea why, I have a gut feeling that they're actually some sort of memories. More specifically, my memories. Except the things that happen in the dreams are… well, they're completely impossible; in fact so far they seem like something out of a horror story. I've only had two of them so far, and the second one hit me right in the middle of our fight."

"Well… I have had some strange dreams in the past, but it turned out to just be Lauren reaching out to me," Nova replied, glancing off to the side again.

She hadn't even finished her sentence before Jack was shaking his head.

"No, something like that happened to me once before and I know what it feels like," he said. "Like I said, I'm positive that I'm remembering things that have happened to me at some point. It makes too much sense for that not to be it. All that stuff with the sword happened right after the dream hit me, and in the dream I… well, I was beheading living skeletons with a sword just like the one I summoned."

"Beheading… living… skeletons?" Nova repeated, one of her ears falling to the side in confusion.

"I told you," Jack sighed. "These dreams are impossible. My vision was kinda blurry, but I was being rushed by a bunch of people; humans, except they were just bones and clothes and swords. Then I pulled out a sword of my own and started cutting them down left and right, and that's when I woke up. The things is, I feel like the dream somehow… for lack of a better word, 'unlocked' some sort of hidden skill I have, or had, with a sword."

"Interesting…" Nova mused as she closed her eyes and thought about everything she had heard up to this point. After a few seconds of silence, Nova opened her eyes and let out a sigh. "I have nothing," she conceded.

Jack sighed again. "Yeah, me neither. Anyway, it's your fault for asking."

"I guess it is," Nova said with a small laugh as she shook her head. "How about we get on the road, it's still a long way to our destination."

"That sounds like an excellent plan," Jack agreed.

After grabbing what few belongings they'd taken with them, the pair set out for Axiom again. Finding a point to cross the front lines of the war was somewhat of an issue, but eventually the two of them found an area they could sneak through. They spent the next ten days or so on the road, during which time Nova and Jack got to know each other better. Jack kept noticing Nova talking to her invisible friend every now and again, but after a while he pretty much got used to it.

Jack tried repeatedly to bring out his instinctive skill with a sword, but each time he was met with failure; usually in the form of the ground rushing up to meet him. Even so, he refused to give up. In addition to meditation, every morning Jack drilled a short series of basic strokes that he remembered, albeit vaguely, from his latest dream. He wasn't sure whether or not he was improving at all, but he hoped that by practicing enough he might unlock more memories.

Nova and Jack approached the mountain chain that had been in the distance for the past few days. The temperature was steadily dropping, but not enough to the point where it was unbearably cold. Instead just being a cool temperature. Then again, Nova had her fur to keep her warm and the cold never bothered Jack anyway.

Jack wasn't sure exactly who was leading the way, Nova or her invisible friend, but Jack figured it probably amounted to the same thing; either way they'd get where they needed to. Sure enough, the ruined city came into view one day as the two of them emerged from some trees at the base of the mountain.

Jack's eyes widened at the sight of the giant stone buildings. Even if most of them were in a state of disrepair, it was still an awe inspiring sight. There was another reason, however, that he stared. Looking at the ancient city, Jack couldn't shake the feeling that he'd seen it somewhere before. Enormous walls of grey stone, reaching up as far as the eye could see… the image was still fuzzy, but he was sure of it. His dreams, or at least the parts with the living skeletons, had taken place near a city much like this one.

"That looks like something straight out of my dreams," he said, apprehension evident in his voice.

Nova looked over at Jack with a confused expression. Jack's dreams were certainly something else if they included Azorian ruins, or something similar to them.

"That is… interesting…" Nova replied for the lack of anything better to say. "Anyways… Welcome to Axiom."

Jack scratched the back of his head. "I've got to say, I wasn't expecting it to be… in ruins."

"I guess I did forget to mention that didn't I…" Nova said as she looked over her shoulder at Jack. "But yes, the city was laid to siege and destroyed seven hundred years ago. About a hundred years ago, a clan of Lucario moved into it and have been living there ever since."

"And that's where you learned to use that spear of yours?" Jack asked. "And where this 'core' is?"

"Etiam," Nova answered, nodding her head in response. "In the palace at the top of the mountain."

Jack nodded. "Alright then, let's go. I'm eager to see what the core looks like; not to mention that a community made up entirely of Lucarios sounds like my kind of place."

"Well, normally the core is rather difficult to find, but I can usually trace its location," Nova said as the two of them started walking towards the city.

As they neared the entrance, Jack saw two guards standing one on either side of the gate. Both of them appeared to be rather confused as Nova and Jack approached them.

"Salutem," Nova greeted as she and Jack stopped at the base of the mountain.

"Salutem, Nova," One of the Lucarios replied with a small bow. "It is good to see you again, and I see that you have brought a visitor…"

"I don't think any human has been here in a great many years," the other said as he eyed Jack suspiciously.

Jack folded his hands behind his back, looked up at the sky and started whistling innocently.

Nova glanced over at Jack, probably wondering what on earth he was doing.

"Anyways… We needed some supplies before we head north," Nova continued, looking back at the guards.

"You know that you are always welcome here, Azorian," the second guard said. "And if you trust this human, then I have no objections to allowing him to enter as well."

"Gratias," Nova replied, bowing her head slightly before turning back to Jack, "Alright Jack, let's go."

"Right," Jack agreed, following her. _"Those guys seemed… nice,"_ he commented sarcastically, speaking telepathically.

 _"They were just being cautious. This is their home after all, and they don't take too lightly to letting strangers into it,"_ Nova replied. _"After all, the time humans were here, they burnt the city to the ground."_

Jack shrugged. _"Well, I guess that makes a certain amount of sense."_

"As long as you are with me, there is nothing to worry about. Once they know that you are my friend, everything will be fine," Nova explained as they made their way up the stone path to the top of the mountain.

"Okay then," Jack said. "I guess it just feels a little strange, I'm used to people pretty much trusting me implicitly after meeting me for the first time. It doesn't seem to be happening as much lately though…"

"I have learned that in Saldara, trust usually has to be earned and isn't given out," Nova answered.

Jack shrugged again. "Okay, seems fair. Anyway, it's pretty much going to be up to you to show me around. After all, I have absolutely no idea where we're going."

"I figured as much. If all else fails, I think that Lauren could probably find a way to guide you. You said that you could sense her right?" Nova questioned, looking over her shoulder at Jack.

"Kinda," Jack replied. "I can sense roughly where she is, but not much more. The only thing is there's so much aura floating around here it's kinda messing with my auric vision; it's like looking through a really, really cloudy piece of glass. I should get acclimatized to it before to long though. Maybe..."

"Hmm… I honestly don't sense anything different… I guess your auric senses are more sensitive than mine," Nova said with a shrug.

"Actually, I think it's the other way around," Jack started. "I'm pretty sure my auric abilities aren't as well developed as yours, or any Lucario's are, so I can't block out this much background noise without getting used to it first."

"I suppose that makes sense as well," Nova mused as the two of them ascended the mountain towards the palace at the top.

It didn't take them too long to reach their destination. Nova stopped in the courtyard as there were several Lucarios meditating outside. A few of them glanced over at the odd pair and seemed rather surprised to see a human. Though they didn't react when they saw that he was with Nova. Jack meanwhile didn't know what to look at first, his eyes kept darting around trying to see everything he could of the massive buildings surrounding him.

With no one stopping them, Nova and Jack continued into the palace, which was built into the side of the mountain. Nova had already found the particular aura that she was looking for and started towards him. As they proceeded, they passed several groups of Lucario, but once again the two of them were left alone. Though a few of them did give small bows as Nova passed. Jack looked around, curious as to where they'd ended up. His aura sense was still pretty much useless at that point, so he had no idea what to expect as Nova opened the doors. As she did, the first thing Jack saw was several Lucarios training with spears just like the one Nova used.

"You mind waiting till they finish?" Nova whispered.

"Not at all," Jack replied. "Actually, it looks pretty interesting."

With that said, the two of them went over to the side of the room and sat against the wall. Nova removed the spear off of her back and laid it across her lap. The Lucarios that were training offered them a token glance at first, but soon focused solely on their training. Jack watched intently, figuring that if he was going to learn to fight with a sword then he might as well also learn as much about other forms of combat as he could. After a while the session seemed to wrap up and all the Lucarios left the room except for one, the one who seemed to have been leading the training.

"Well, Nova, you never cease to surprise me," the Lucario said as he walked up to her and Jack, holding out a paw. Nova stood up, leaning her Hastae against the wall before taking his paw in her own.

"Well, you should know by now that I am rather unpredictable," Nova replied with a smirk.

"I do believe this is the first time a human has been in Axiom around a hundred years, maybe even since it was the city was destroyed seven hundred years ago," the Lucario commented as he looked over at Jack. "Still, any friend of Nova's is welcome here anytime."

"Much obliged," Jack commented wryly, in perfect Pokéspeak no less.

The Lucario looked at Jack curiously, as if examining him before once again shaking his head. "I figured he was special, but I wasn't expecting that…" he started before looking back at Nova. "You Azorians certainly don't know how to do normal do you?"

"Not at all," Nova said with a smirk.

"Anyways, my name is Luke, I am the clan leader," the Lucario started, holding out a paw to Jack.

"Jack Storm," Jack replied, shaking Luke's paw. "It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

"Same to you. So, what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?" Luke asked.

"Well, we needed some supplies as he are heading north from her. That and maybe a place to rest for a few days. We have been traveling for over a week to get here and it wasn't easy… The war has made it a bit harder to get supplies…" Nova elaborated.

"War?" Luke said in surprised tone. "I remembered you telling me there was some fighting when you were here last, but I didn't think it had escalated that far."

"Yeah… things have been crazy out there…" Nova replied.

"Well, you know that you are always welcome here," Luke offered. "We would be happy to have you."

"Gratias," Nova responded, bowing her head some.

"Think nothing of it," Luke dismissed, "Dinner will be in a few hours and you are welcome to join us."

"That would be great," Nova said with a smile.

"Alright, well you know your way around and where to find me if you need me," Luke replied. "I will be sure to pass word around about your friend here to others don't think he is an intruder."

"That would be much appreciated, thank you," Jack said.

"Very well then," Luke stated before leaving the room to continue his duties.

"So," Jack asked Nova once Luke had left. "What are we going to do next?"

"Well, I know where the sleeping quarters are if you want to find a place to set down your bag," Nova replied. "Once we're done with that, we can try and find the core if you would like."

"That sounds like a plan," Jack agreed.

"Alright, follow me then," Nova continued before twirling her spear around and attaching it to her back. She started towards the door of the room with Jack in tow. It didn't take her long to find the wide hallway that had most of the sleeping areas. Nova quickly found the one that Luke had permanently given to her when she was here last.

"Well, this is my room," Nova started, "We can either bring in some more blankets here or try and find an unoccupied room for you."

Jack shrugged. "It doesn't make much difference to me either way, so whichever one you'd prefer."

"It would probably be easier to have you stay here as well… I honestly haven't the slightest of clues which of the other rooms are in use," Nova mused.

"That's fine then," Jack replied. "I don't mind sleeping on the ground anyway. Although I admit it has been a while since I've had to."

"Understandable," Nova said with a small laugh as she once again removed her spear from her back and leaned it against the wall. She then slid her sash off and laid in on a small wooden table. "Shall we be off then?"

Jack nodded, setting his bag down next to Nova's spear. "Sure. Like I said earlier, I'm eager to see this Core of yours."

"Alright, let's go then," Nova stated as she headed out of the room and back into the hallway. Pausing for a moment, she closed her eyes as if trying to pick out a tune she could barely hear. After a few seconds, she opened her eyes and started down the hallway in the opposite direction from which they had come.

"So the Core," Jack asked, "does it actually move around and stuff?"

"Yes, there are several dozen hidden rooms throughout the palace that it can reside in," Nova answered as she led him down one hallway after another.

"But your friend can move around wherever she wants," Jack continued quizzically. "So what exactly is she?"

"Lauren is the manifestation of the core's personality if you will," Nova started as she thought about how to explain the intricacies of the core. "She herself is just an extension of the core, but isn't the main body. The main body, where all its power resides, is here in Axiom."

Jack nodded sagaciously. "Okay, that makes perfect sense."

"Really?" Nova questioned skeptically.

"No."

"Yeah…. I figured as much… it isn't the easiest concept to explain. Basically, the core can project aura anywhere in the region. It uses that ability to make a sort of ghostlike body for itself so that it can guide or talk with… well me in this case," Nova continued.

Jack scratched the back of his head. "I get the basic idea, I'm just trying not to think about it too hard."

"That's generally for the best… Honestly I don't even know everything yet… She is very enigmatic about a most things."

"Okay then," Jack deadpanned. "Anyway, are we getting close?"

"Almost," Nova replied as she walked up to a wall. "It's behind here."

She extended her paw and placed it against the cold stone and focused a pool of aura into it. The section of wall absorbed it and glowed blue before disappearing. Jack's eyes went wide as he entered the room behind Nova and saw the core. It looked like a reverse waterfall of aura at the center of the room, flowing upwards from the ornate, circular stone carving on the floor into a similar one on the roof. It felt like… like it was calling out to him; drawing him in. So much power in so small a vessel, just like the Mind Plate...

Before Jack realized what he was doing, he'd crossed to the middle of the room in the blink of an eye and, before Nova could stop him, stuck his right hand into the core. It was like sticking his hand into a generator; for one brief instant he could feel power surging through his entire body, charging every muscle with pure energy.

The pillar of aura seemed to ripple for a moment in response, then with a flash of light it retracted into the ceiling and let out a compressed wave of aura, throwing Jack off of his feet and onto his back. The blue light that had been filling the room vanished and plunged the room back into darkness.

 _"Uh oh,"_ Jack thought to himself. _"I think I broke it..."_

"Did you really have to go and stick your hand into the giant pillar of aura?" Nova deadpanned as she walked up next to Jack and looked down at him, shaking her head some.

Jack shrugged, his shaggy blond hair standing on end and making him look like a porcupine.

"What can I say; I didn't have a stick to poke it with, so what was I supposed to do?" he replied, not really wanting to explain how he'd felt drawn to the core.

"Ask first," Nova answered, using a pool of aura around her as a sort of torch.

"I must say, that felt… odd," Lauren said as she shuddered some. "Like someone stuck their hand inside my body."

"Oh," Jack replied sheepishly, rubbing his spiky hair. "Sorry about that. I guess I…"

Jack did a perfect double take, and his eyes went wide again as he noticed the glowing blue Lucario standing beside Nova.

"Uhh…" Jack said, his mouth hanging open for a second. "I must've been hit harder than I thought…"

"Why do you say that?" Nova questioned, one of her ears falling to the side as per usual when she was confused.

Jack pointed a finger at Lauren. "Oh nothing, just the glowing apparition standing right there."

Nova glanced over at where Jack was pointing, where Lauren was standing. She remained silent for a moment before letting out a sigh, "Well… I didn't see that coming…"

"Nor did I, child…" Lauren continued. "It would seem that Jack managed to snag a bit of the core inside him before I closed off the connection."

"Wait a second…" Jack muttered, starting to put the pieces together. "That isn't… is it?"

"Jack, meet Lauren," Nova sighed out. "Lauren, Jack, even though you already know that."

Jack just sat staring at Lauren for a few seconds.

 _"Oh boy,"_ he thought to himself, _"I've really done it this time. At this rate, my own curiosity is going to be the death of me for sure… Oh well, nothing I can do about it now; might as well accept it and move on."_

"Okay then," he said. "So I can see you now; that's cool."

"So it would seem, as well as hear me," Lauren replied. "I must say this is a rather interesting turn of events."

"Yeah," Jack agreed. "Although to be honest, it's not the strangest thing that's ever happened to me."

 _"Not by a long shot…"_ he thought ruefully.

"Nor is it the strangest thing I have seen," Nova stated in agreement.

"Well, now that this is mostly settled," Lauren closed her eyes for a moment before the core burst back into existence. "And please don't touch it this time."

"Sorry about that, again," Jack repeated. "I'll try to restrain myself."

"It is fine, there is nothing I can do about it at this point," Lauren responded in a kind tone.

"So, has your curiosity been sated?" Nova asked.

"Yeah, you could say that," Jack deadpanned.

 _"Three ways to next Wednesday it has… "_

"Well then, how about we head back to the room?" Nova suggested.

"Sounds good to me," Jack agreed, eager to put the whole mess behind him. "I kinda want to get cleaned up before dinner."

"Heh heh, I can see why," Lauren said with a small laugh.

"Yes, your hair looks like it has a Joltik nest in it," Nova commented with a smirk.

Jack looked up at his hair and sighed, realizing that it looked like he'd reached his final form. "Great. I'd better keep my voice down or I might get copyright issues…"

"Copyright what now?" Nova asked, her ear falling to the side yet again.

"Never mind," Jack said quickly. "It's another human thing."

"Ah…" Nova responded. "Anyways, let's head back."

"Right," Jack agreed. "Lead on."

* * *

Me: *sigh* It's lonely around here these days. Jack is in Osean's story, his Pokémon are captured, and everybody else is too busy to do the author's notes with me. I might need to find myself a new assistant at this rate…

Anyway folks, I hope you liked the chapter. Once again it's a little longer than usual, mostly because I didn't want to incur the wrath of the Osean by splitting it into two like I did last time… *sigh* It's too quiet around here without Jack.

One other thing before I go, I have a little announcement to make. Since I'm going to have more free time between chapters now, due to Osean and I having to sync up our schedules every time we want to write, I'm going to be starting Ivy's Story back up with the hope of finishing it in the foreseeable future. If you haven't read Ivy's Story, I would highly recommend it; because while it may have started out as just a side-story, I plan on making it a story of its own. And believe me, it's going to be a wild ride. Do go ahead and check it out, new chapters should start rolling out soon. Anyway, see you all in the next chapter.


	25. A stay at Axiom

That night, Jack and Nova had dinner in the main hall of the castle with the rest of the citizens of Axiom. It was a rather enjoyable meal consisting of berries and, much to Nova's excitement, fish. Throughout the meal, Jack couldn't help but notice that almost every eye seemed to be glued to Nova and him.

Not that Jack really minded odd looks at this point, and in fact he gave out as good as he got. He made a point of thoroughly examining anything, and everything that was unfamiliar to him; which included the masses of Lucarios who inhabited the city.

"I was pretty much an urban legend back in Sinnoh," Jack told Nova at one point, when she asked if he was alright with everyone staring at him. "So I'm used to people looking at me funny."

"Ah, I see. That makes a lot sense actually. When I was here last time, I got the treatment you are getting now. It was a bit unnerving… I am generally an outgoing person, but having that many people focusing on me…" Nova shuddered as she thought back to it. "Let's just say I am glad you are currently the center of their attention."

Jack grinned impishly. "What you have to remember is that they're just jealous of how awesome you are."

Nova nearly choked on the berry she was eating, having to hit her chest with her paw a few times before dislodging the food and laughing as quiet as she could; so as not to draw more attention to the duo. Although they already had most of the attention in the room.

"Really?" Nova asked sarcastically with smirk.

Jack shrugged. "Hey, whatever works."

"I guess that is true," Nova conceded, a smile still present on her muzzle from Jack's proposal. "I guess I should be used to it as well…"

After they finished dinner the crowd dispersed and went their separate ways. In lieu of anything else to do, Nova and Jack headed back to Nova's room for the night. The sun had already sunk below the horizon, making it feel much later than it actually was.

"Well, I have nothing else in mind for today," Nova said as she entered the room and sat down on the blankets on the floor.

"That makes two of us," Jack replied. "So at this point we have two options. We could either talk about… something or other, I really don't know, or we could just do our own thing until bedtime. What do you feel like doing?"

"I'm fine with either talking or doing our own things," Nova responded with a shrug. "What would we talk about? We kind of covered a lot on the journey here…."

"True…" Jack agreed thoughtfully. "Although there is one thing I've been dying to know for a while now."

"And what would that be?" Nova inquired, looking over at Jack with a curious expression.

Jack scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "You wouldn't happen to know where a bathroom is, would you?"

* * *

Jack woke up the next morning to the pale grey light of pre-dawn. Knowing he'd regret it later otherwise, he stretched a few times and then hauled himself up out of his makeshift bed with a yawn. He walked over to the solitary window, scratching his head absentmindedly. One upside of having constantly messy hair was that bed-head barely made it look any worse than normal.

Despite barely being able to function this early, Jack loved waking up in time to watch the sun rise. Due to the life he led, he usually didn't wake up in the same place twice; which made each new sunrise a unique experience. He was especially excited for this one, seeing as he'd never seen the sun rise from as high a place as Axiom before.

Leaning his arms on the windowsill, Jack gazed to the east over what was left of the ruined city. It wasn't completely quiet, he could hear the sounds of laughter and light footsteps. He'd seen a handful of young Riolus last night at dinner, and he guessed that they must enjoy watching the sunrise as much as he did. He chuckled slightly as he remembered all the times he'd worried his adoptive parents half to death by going out first thing in the morning to watch the sunrise.

Jack looked on beyond the city walls to the forest and plains through which he and Nova had journeyed the previous day. The sun was just beginning to peek over the trees, lighting up the sky in a blaze of brilliant reds and oranges. As if the clouds of night were being burnt away to reveal the clear blue of morning. As always, it struck Jack anew just how beautiful was the world they'd been given.

Jack didn't realize that Nova was awake until she walked up beside him. A gust of crisp morning air blew through the window, playing with Nova's mane as she looked out at the sunrise as well.

"Quite the view," Jack commented quietly.

"That it is," Nova replied, "It always helped me relax when I woke up."

"No kidding…" Jack said thoughtfully, pausing a moment before continuing. "Back in the forest I grew up in there was this one really tall tree right near my home. Every morning before the sun came up I'd always climb right to the top and watch the sun rise above the forest. It helped me relax too."

"That sounds very nice," Nova responded with a smile. "I have always enjoyed sunsets more than sunrises, but I still enjoy them both. Your home sounds like a lovely place though."

Jack smiled sadly. "Yeah, it was. It's been a long time since I last saw it, but I've never once found a place quite like it; in a lot of ways. This comes pretty close though, I have to admit. I can already hear a few children running around and playing together, just like it was back home."

"Heh heh, yeah. They are a playful, friendly bunch. They were always trying to cheer me up when I first got here. Their auras were so pure it was hard not to be happy around them," Nova answered.

Jack looked out at the sunrise one last time before yawning and turning back into the room.

"Alright," he said, stretching his arms up above his head, "So what's on the agenda for today?"

"Well… I didn't have much planned. Maybe a bit of training and meditation, but I mostly want to relax before we head off north," Nova replied. "Did you have anything you wanted to do?"

Jack fingered his chin thoughtfully. "Actually, I do have a few things I'd like to ask that Luke guy. From what I saw at dinner yesterday, he's a pretty important guy around here isn't he?"

"He is the clan leader and one of the most experienced fighters in the clan," Nova said in response. "He helped me the most when I first got here… Well, excluding Lauren."

"And he's the one who taught you to use that spear of yours," Jack continued.

"Verum," Nova nodded, "He did teach me and many others here how to use a Hastae."

"Okay," Jack replied, nodding as well. "That's good. In that case he might be able to help me as well. What do you say we grab some breakfast and go see him?"

"That sounds like a good plan. I am rather hungry right now," Nova said with a sheepish grin.

"Alright then!" Jack exclaimed enthusiastically. "Let's go get something to eat."

The two of them exited the room and went in the direction of the dining hall. This time it was much less crowded as breakfast was more of a come and go buffet than a communal meal. There was a wide range of berries to choose from, though there wasn't any meat or fish. Still, the berries were fresh and filling enough for the both of them. Once they were both done, Nova closed her eyes and searched for Luke's aura. It didn't take her long to find it and the two of them set off towards him.

"Where's Lauren by the way?" Jack asked as they walked down a hallway towards Luke's aura signature. "She's usually never more than two meters from you, but I haven't seen her since yesterday. Then again I never saw her before yesterday..."

"I'm not sure… She disappears quite often. I have asked her what she does then, but she has never given me a direct answer," Nova replied.

"I see," Jack deadpanned. "Have I ever mentioned my policy on cryptic comments?"

"I do not believe you have," Nova said with a small laugh.

Jack sighed. "Oh well. Anyway, are we getting close to Luke? Where is he exactly?"

"He is out in the courtyard," Nova answered as they rounded the final corner before coming to the entrance of the palace.

The sun was shining in through the open arches, illuminating the large room that they were in. They went through the arches and out into the open air. Nova took in a deep breath of the fresh air. While the difference wasn't too big, the air outside was still noticeably less stuffy than it was inside the castle. Luke was out at the edge of the courtyard, which overlooked a sharp cliff face. Jack and Nova waved to him and walked over to where he was standing.

"Good morning, Luke," Nova said in a cheerful voice.

"Good morning, Nova, Jack," Luke replied, turning to look at the two of them.

"You enjoying the view?" Jack asked.

"Yes, despite having lived here all of my life, it never gets old," Luke answered. "So what brings you two out here? I don't imagine it was just the view."

"Actually," Jack replied crossing his arms. "I had a few questions for you. I heard you're the most experienced warrior in the entire clan, is that right?"

"Not to sound boastful, but I believe that would be correct," Luke said, crossing his arms across his chest.

Jack nodded. "In that case, I was wondering if you knew anything about swords. More specifically how to use them."

"Well… I can say that the ancient Azorians did use swords as well. Though sadly none of them appeared to have survived to this day. The old auric vault that was opened a hundred years ago only contained Hastae. So I cannot say that I am well versed in how to use them, though I have done some reading on the matter," Luke responded.

"I see," Jack said, looking slightly disappointed. "Well, in that case have you ever seen or heard of a sword like this?"

Jack held out his hand and started gathering aura into it, forming the distinct shape of his sword. The double-edged blade was about a meter long, and a little more than an inch wide. Both edges were straight as an arrow, only starting to taper inwards about six inches from the tip where they met at a wickedly sharp point.

The handle of the sword was about one and a half hands long and looked to be wrapped in some sort of cloth or leather strips. At the seam between blade and hilt there was a small crossguard which jutted out slightly on either side, and slanted up towards the blade like a set of tiny wings. In all it was a truly beautiful blade, and Jack figured the original must have been the work of a highly skilled craftsman.

Luke and Nova inspected every detail of the auric sword with great care. Luke was the more surprised than Nova as he hadn't seen the sword before. Luke had to admit that it was a beautiful sword and probably even more deadly than it looked.

"I have read stories about very skilled aura knights how could make swords out of pure aura without the need of a special hilt to focus their aura through, but have never seen it," Luke replied, a certain amount of awe in his voice.

Jack blinked. "I thought making things out of aura was a basic technique."

"Making basic items out of aura, yes. And while by today's standards a sword is a simple item, one still has to make sure the blade is sharp and all the details are correct. The amount of detail on that sword is beyond what I would deem necessary," Luke answered.

"Oh… okay then," Jack commented with a shrug; no point being surprised, none of this made sense anyway. "Anyway like I said, have you ever seen anything like it before? Anything that would help me figure out where it might have come from?"

"This design? I have not, it bears practically no resemblance to any Azorian sword nor even the Taldaran swords that were used to conquer this city," Luke replied. "It is quite foreign to me."

"I see," Jack said, his disappointed look returning. "Oh well, thanks anyway."

"You are welcome. I am sorry I could not be of greater help," Luke stated, "Though I am curious of the origins of such a sword."

"Well, that makes two of us," Jack sighed, then he remembered the other reason he wanted to speak with Luke. "Anyway, there was one other thing I wanted to ask you. I'm interested in learning more about those Hastae you use, would you mind teaching me how to use one?"

"Now that is something I am completely capable of accomplishing," Luke said with a smile. "There should still be a few blunted Hastae in the training area."

"Perfect, thanks," Jack replied. "Nova and I had little sparring match one the way here, and ever since then I've wanted to learn how to use a spear like she does."

"Ah, I see," Luke replied. "I trust that one of my best students did her part?"

"I was winning till he cheated with that sword," Nova answered with a sly smirk.

"It was complicated and you know it," Jack shot back with a grin.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever you say," Nova said, waving one of her paws dismissively in the air.

"You're just sore because my new sword skills outclassed your spear skills," Jack taunted.

"You still cheated, even if it wasn't intentional," Nova countered, her muzzle still turned upwards in a smirk.

"Just keep telling yourself that," Jack said, doing his best to sound condescending while trying not to laugh.

Luke was just shaking his head, smiling as the two of them went back and forth with their battle of wit. It was honestly quite amusing for him while at the same time bringing him a certain level of comfort to see Nova enjoying herself again. It was something that had been quite absent during most of her recent stay at Axiom.

"As much as I enjoy listening to the two of you banter, I do have a class to teach soon. So if Jack wants to learn more about how to use a Hastae, I would recommend we get moving," Luke stated with a laugh.

"Sounds good to me," Jack agreed. "Lead the way."

With that said, the three of them returned back inside the walls of the palace. Luke was at the front of the group as he walked through the winding halls. It didn't take them too long to reach their destination. Luke opened the doors to the room that Jack and Nova had first found him in. True to his word, there were a few blunted Hastae leaning against a rack near the wall on the far side of the room.

If he was honest with himself, Jack had another reason for wanting to learn spearmanship. Aside from it being the next best thing to learning more about his sword, he could still remember a few fragmented images from his latest 'dream'. A few of these images contained spears a lot like Azorian Hastae, and Jack wanted to find out more. He had a feeling that training with a Hastae might just trigger more memories and, despite feeling a certain amount of trepidation about it, he really wanted to find out what these dreams were and why he was having them. It was almost like he'd lived two completely separate lives, and they were starting to collide.

"So what exactly did you want to learn?" Luke inquired as he walked over and grabbed two of the training spears.

"Well," Jack said thoughtfully, "I've trained with a quarterstaff before so I know the basics, stance, blocking, that sort of thing; although it's been a long time since I actually trained. I guess what I want to know is how your technique is different from what I learned. When I was sparring with Nova her form was a lot like the one I was taught, but it was a lot sharper and tighter."

"I see… Nova, what were your observations during your spar?" Luke questioned as he walked back towards the two of them.

"His stance was sloppy and his attacks were mostly predictable," Nova replied with a smirk.

"I just said I haven't trained in a while!" Jack protested.

"Fair enough," Nova continued. "Still doesn't change much in the fact that when using a spear or quarterstaff, you appear to have forgotten most of the training you received."

Jack sighed and rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah… I can't argue with that. So I guess basically what I'm trying to do here is relearn it a little bit."

"Understandable," Luke said, nodding his head in agreement. "You mind telling me who trained you to use a quarterstaff?"

"My parents," Jack replied, before deciding to clarify. "They were Lucarios."

Luke was a bit taken aback, a confused look springing onto his face as he looked between Nova and Jack. After a few seconds, he let out a sigh and shook his head.

"You know, that actually explains a lot…" Luke conceded before holding out one of the Hastae for Jack to grab. "Then again, I should be used to such surprises whenever Nova visits."

Jack took the blunted spear and swung it around a few times to get a feel for the weight.

"It's heavier than I'm used to," he commented. "Then again, the ones I'm used to are weightless."

"That is what most people say whenever they first handle a Hastae. While it has its similarities to the auric staff that Lucarios use with Bone Rush, it also has its differences," Luke explained.

"No kidding," Jack replied wryly, fingering the metal tip. "Little differences like this you mean?"

"The obvious one is as you have said is the weight. The others mostly have to do with this. It is not hard to stop an object that has no weight to it, but an object with mass has momentum," Luke continued, expertly swinging around the ancient spear as he talked.

Jack nodded. "Makes sense. When I was training with auric weapons I was always taught to put as much of my body behind my strikes as possible, because otherwise there'd be no force behind them."

"That is very true. One of the first mistakes trainees make when using a Hastae is putting too much power into their attacks and movements. Mistakes that often leave them open to counterattack as they cannot reposition their weapon in time," Luke elaborated, stopping the spear vertically in front of him with his paw. "With that said, I want you to attack me."

Jack nodded again. "Right."

Jack settled into a combat stance, doing his best to tighten it up. He inched towards Luke slowly, knowing that rushing in recklessly was not a good idea. Jack waited until he was almost within striking range and then he suddenly darted forward, closing the remaining distance between them in a heartbeat, and swept the tip of his Hastae towards Luke's right side.

Luke was more than ready for the attack and spun his spear around. He used the butt of it to redirect Jack's attack up and away from him, leaving Jack completely defenseless right in front of him. He leveled the blunted tip straight at Jack, the metal tip mere inches from his throat.

"Nova was right, a little too predictable," Luke said with a victorious smirk before pulling the Hastae away from Jack.

"So I've been told," Jack replied, his eyes remaining glued to the tip of Luke's spear until it was a safe distance away from him.

"Most people cross over for their first attack. You are right handed and you went for my right side as to get more force behind your attack. Then again, that has to do more with my experience than your predictability," Luke continued.

"So what you're saying is that I should try going for your left side first?" Jack asked.

"You could, but it's more down to not settling into a rhythm for your attacks. If someone has been watching you and you always strike across, then they will know that," Luke explained.

"Alright then," Jack said thoughtfully. "I'll keep that in mind. Anything else?"

"Quite a bit, however that is all the time I have right now," Luke responded as several other Lucarios entered the room.

"I see, alright then," Jack said. "Actually though, would you mind if I sat in on your class just this once?"

"I don't see a problem with that," Luke answered before looking over at Nova. "You want to join in?"

"I think I will pass, while I am sure there is a lot you could still teach me. I think it is above the level of this class," Nova replied.

"Very well," Luke said, nodding his head in response.

Nova continued to watch from her spot against the wall as the others fell into position. Luke gave Jack a quick introduction and explained his presence before starting the class. Nova watched with mild interest to see how well Jack learned compared to the others.

Jack kept a very close eye not only on Luke, but also on the other students as they trained. He did his best to mimic their technique and as the lesson went on, although he couldn't see himself, he felt like he was improving. After a while the moves started to feel more and more natural and he didn't have to think about them as much. He could've chalked it up to his training with a quarterstaff coming back to him, but he knew that wasn't the whole story. If he had to take a wild guess, maybe swordsmanship wasn't the only skill his latest dream had 'unlocked'.

 _"This gets more and more weird by the day,"_ he thought to himself as Luke dismissed the class for a short break after around ninety minutes of solid training.

Jack set his training spear down on a rack and walked over to where Nova was sitting.

"So," Jack asked, sitting down beside the blue-furred Zoroark. "Enjoy the show?"

"That I did; you seem to be doing very well," Nova answered with a smile.

"Thanks," Jack replied with a grin, wiping a thin film of sweat from his brow. "I've always been a fast learner. I'll bet I'm still nowhere near your level though."

"True, and I am nowhere near Luke's level," Nova continued before looking down at the ground, a small frown making its way onto her face.

"No?" Jack said curiously. "I'd have thought you and Luke were at least in the same league. But if he's as much better than you as you are than me… uhh, wait a second..."

Nova looked over at Jack in confusion, one of her ears drooping to the side as Jack's train of thought completely derailed.

"Okay, that sentence kinda got away from me," Jack continued, "but oh well. What I meant to say was that it makes sense that he's teaching the class if he's really that good. It just didn't come out quite right…"

"Ah, I see…" Nova stated, nodding her head slowly before bringing her knees into her chest and wrapping her arms around them.

Jack sighed and rubbed his stomach. "Any idea what time it is? I'm kinda hungry."

"Not in the slightest, cannot see the sun from in here. Last I checked, torches weren't a good way to tell time," Nova responded, her eyes still looking ahead as she leaned forward and rested her head on her knees.

Jack glanced over at her curiously. "Something on your mind?"

Nova was silent for a few seconds before she responded, "Well… When talking how skilled the three of us are… it got me thinking about the one person I know that could beat Luke…"

Jack nodded. "I think I see where this is going. Don't worry, it won't be too much longer. We're going to get him back."

"I know… it still hurts though," Nova replied, a small smile working its way onto her muzzle at Jack's confidence.

"Believe me," Jack said, his eyes narrowing slightly, "I know. If I thought it would actually work, I'd probably be scouring the mountains for the Alpha base right now all by myself. As it stands… I think we should move on as soon as possible."

"I agree," Nova stated, nodding her head, "How does leaving tomorrow morning sound?"

Jack took a deep breath and released it slowly. "I think that would be good, yeah. Even so," he continued, a wry smile returning to his face, "we can still enjoy our stay here while it lasts. And the first place I want to start is getting some food."

"Heh heh," Nova laughed and shook her head some, her mane flowing behind her. "That does sound good."

"Pardon me one moment," Jack said, before disappearing with an electrical crackle and a whoosh of displaced air.

Jack popped back into existence a ways away from Axiom, in the mountains. He could've just teleported onto the roof of the palace, that would've been simpler, but he needed to let off some steam.

With an inarticulate cry of grief and rage, Jack slammed his fist into a nearby boulder with all the force of his anger. The lump of solid rock, several times larger than Jack himself, shattered like a sheet of glass into a thousand shards of stone that shot away from Jack like the blast from a giant blunderbuss. The entire violent event took a fraction of a second, but it helped Jack clear his head. He knew that releasing his anger like this probably wasn't the best approach, but it was far better than bottling it up until it exploded by itself. He'd been there, and he never wanted it to happen again. Even so, it was becoming increasingly difficult to keep his cool.

The worst part about it though was against whom Jack's anger was directed. He wished he could be angry at Alpha, or J, or anyone else, but the one he was really angry at was himself. He still blamed himself for letting Alpha steal his team in the first place, but his latest offence was in his eyes even more unforgivable. The sad fact was that he was enjoying his time in Axiom; so much that for a brief moment, one terrible moment, he forgot why he was there in the first place.

Ever since he left Sinnoh he had never once wavered in his resolve, never lost sight of his one and only goal in Saldara; to rescue his friends. That is, not until now. It wasn't like he had to have it in the forefront of his mind every waking moment, but he had constantly kept moving forward. Now though, he'd stayed in Axiom for a whole day without once thinking about his friends. He hated himself for it.

Jack took a few deep breaths in an attempt to calm down. He still didn't want Nova to see him like this. She was becoming more cheerful and optimistic by the day, and he knew that he was a large part of the reason. If she knew how he really felt, if she saw his rage, Jack didn't know how she'd react. She was the only reason he hadn't given in to his rage already.

Once he was calm enough that he trusted himself not to let his anger show, Jack took note of the position of the sun and teleported back to where Nova was sitting.

"By my calculations," he told her, "We've still got at least an hour or so before lunch. Maybe more. Fortunately, what this means is that it's snack time."

"I am still mostly good from breakfast, but a snack does sound nice," Nova replied, sitting up a bit straighter.

"What I wouldn't give for a convenient convenience store…" Jack muttered thoughtfully. "Oh well, my luck just isn't that good. What I can do though is see if I can find any mountain-grown berries."

"There are some good berries around here," Nova responded as she thought back to the wide variety that grew in the area.

"Perfect," Jack said with a grin. "I'll go see what I can scrounge up real quick. Be right back."

Jack once again disappeared, teleporting back to the mountainside. He knew he only had a little while before class reconvened, so he made utmost haste in jumping around the mountainside looking for berries. It didn't take him long before he'd collected an armful of delicious, and exotic, looking fruits that he didn't recognise but was sure would taste fine. With his hands full of berries, Jack teleported back to Nova; but when he arrived, all he could see was a semi-transparent blue… something.

"I'm ba- what the…?" he exclaimed in confusion before realising what he was looking at. "Oh, right. It's just you Lauren."

"The one and only," Lauren replied. "Who I remind you that only you and Nova can see."

"Yeah, I remember," Jack deadpanned, glancing surreptitiously around the room at the other students.

"I would be thankful they didn't seem to notice," Nova said with a smirk. "Though it would be ironic after all that time you thought I was just staring off into space."

"As you'll recall," Jack shot back, "it took me about ten seconds to notice her back when I couldn't see her."

"Yeah, I remember, you were freaking out. It was rather funny," Nova countered, both her and Lauren smirking in amusement at the memory.

"Yeah yeah, laugh it up," Jack sighed, tossing Nova a handful of berries. "Here, see if these are any good."

"Thanks," Nova said with a smile, tucking into the juicy fruits until only two were left.

"No problem," Jack replied, finishing off the last of his berries in an equally timely fashion. "Anyway, it looks like class is resuming. See ya."

Nova nodded her head as Jack started off towards the others once again. The rest of the training session went fairly quickly with Jack doing quite well. He even managed to win a sparring match against one of the other trainees at the very end of the session. Overall he thoroughly enjoyed the class, and he felt that he'd learned quite a bit as well. Once it was all over the other students exited the room to go get lunch leaving just Jack, Nova and Luke in the room. Lauren was there as well, but of course Luke couldn't see her.

"Well, that was fun," Jack commented with a grin, twirling his training Hastae in one hand as he walked back over to Nova.

"I could tell," Nova replied, smiling at Jack's contagious enthusiasm. "It seemed like you learned quite a bit as well."

"Master Luke certainly seemed to think so," Jack said, motioning with his head toward the Lucario in question.

"He is certainly a quick learner. I can give him that," Luke agreed as he walked up behind him. "If I had the time to train him like I did with you, he could very easily become one of the best students I have ever trained."

"Aw, you're making me blush," Jack replied in mock bashfulness.

"It's a shame that you two will be leaving so soon. If you ever do come back, you are more than welcome here," Luke responded. "Though I am sure this goes without saying, I would ask that you not tell anyone about this place."

Jack nodded understandingly. "Don't worry, I have plenty of experience keeping secrets."

"I figured as much," Luke said, "So when are you two planning on leaving?"

"Tomorrow morning," Nova replied. "This was just a quick pit stop so we could rest some and get some supplies."

"What she said," Jack added with a straight face.

"Still, thank you for your hospitality," Nova stated with a smile.

"It's the least I could do," Luke responded, waving on of his paws in the air dismissively.

"So," Jack asked, folding his hands behind his back innocently. "When's lunch?"

"Right now, if you want it," Luke replied, though he already knew the answer.

Jack's stomach growled loudly, effectively saying all that needed to be said.

"Figured as much," Luke said with a laugh as he turned towards the door and started walking out of the room. "I think you are in luck then as the hunters came back with a few deer this morning."

Jack licked his lips. "I can't even remember the last time I had real meat..."

"Same here," Nova agreed as she stood up.

Lauren sighed. "Neither can I…"

Jack and Nova both looked at the ghostly Lucario for a moment, then Jack snickered slightly.

"It's all well and good for you to laugh," Lauren huffed, crossing her arms indignantly. "You've never had to live without a body. I'll have you know it's not all it's cracked up to be."

Jack attempted to keep a straight face, but was unable to. The sheer ridiculousness of the situation caused him to let out a snort of laughter.

"While you two are going at it, I am going to go get food," Nova called back, already at the door and on her way to the dining hall.

"Hey, no fair. Wait up!" Jack exclaimed, turning on his heel and running after Nova.

"You snooze, you lose," Nova countered with a laugh.

"Oh no you don't," Jack said, disappearing in a crackle of electricity.

Nova's ears drooped as Jack teleported to what she guessed was the dining hall. Sure enough, when she entered the large room, Jack was already there with a piece of venison in his mouth.

"Cheater," Nova said, sticking her tongue out as she walked past him.

Jack grinned impishly as he savoured the tender meat. "You should know better than to challenge me to a race," he taunted, talking around the food in his mouth.

It didn't take Nova but a few minutes to get her own plate of red meat and berries before sitting down next to Jack. "Still a cheater."

Jack didn't bother responding, and instead grabbed another piece of venison and began cooking it in his hand. Once he'd heated it through, he started picking smaller lumps off the bigger piece and popping them in his mouth.

"I still think you are destroying all the flavor," Nova stated before biting into a piece of raw meat. Her sharp canines tearing it apart with ease.

"Whatever," Jack mumbled, his mouth half-full. "Thish ish shtill good. I don't think I've ever had venishon before…"

"I would accuse you of being raised by animals, but in a way you were…" Nova deadpanned.

Jack gave her a look of extreme disapproval, and made a point of swallowing his food before replying.

"That's cold," Jack said, in mock-seriousness.

"Cold, maybe. True, yes," Nova retorted before taking another bite.

"Oh, shut up," Jack snorted, admitting defeat.

They finished their meal, Jack making a point not to talk with his mouth full again. Afterwards the two of them spent the rest of the day relaxing and exploring the surrounding forest. Dinner was the same as lunch, consisting of venison and berries. After that, Jack and Nova went back to Nova's room and promptly passed out.

First thing next morning, they set about getting ready to leave Axiom. It didn't take them long to gather the supplies they would need for their journey into Jack's pack as well as another small pack for Nova. Luke gave them a share of the salted venison jerky that was usually used in winter when sources of meat were hard to find. While Nova was disappointed to see that it was cooked, she was glad to have it. Other than the food, Luke provided them with several blankets and two canteens for water.

"I'm almost afraid to ask," Jack commented as they loaded up their packs, "But where did you get all this stuff?"

"A few of us here were released by trainers, and even fewer can speak English coherently. Those few will venture out to the nearest human town from time to time and trade for goods such as salt, blankets, and water bottles. Stuff that we would have a hard time getting out here in the wild," Luke replied.

"I see," Jack said. "I guess that makes a certain amount of sense."

"It's a long journey, and given what you have told us, one I don't think we will be doing any time soon…" Luke responded, realizing that if what Nova had told him about the war was accurate, they were effectively cut off from some of the supplies they got from human lands.

Jack shrugged. "Well, that is the main reason we're here; to help end the war. Well… it's one of the reasons anyway," he added, his expression darkening slightly for a moment before he forced it back to normal.

"I wish the two of you the best of luck then," Luke said as Nova and Jack shouldered their respective packs.

"Thanks, the same to you as well," Nova responded.

"Yeah, thanks for putting up with us this long," Jack commented wryly.

Luke shook his head and laughed, a grin working its way onto his muzzle. "Oh please, it was my pleasure. It was certainly nice to meet you."

"Likewise," Jack replied. "And thanks for the spear training too, it was really fun."

"If you ever come back, I will be more than happy to finish teaching you," Luke offered, holding out a paw to the human.

Jack took the proffered appendage and shook it. "I might just take you up on that some time."

"Well, we best be on our way. Our destination is quite a ways from here," Nova said.

"Understandable, it was good to see you again Nova," Luke stated.

"As it was you," Nova responded before turning towards the bottom of the mountain. "Let's go Jack."

Jack nodded and followed her. "Right. Alpha, here we come."


	26. An unexpected ally

Several days had passed since Jack and Nova left Axiom. Their journey north was progressing at a steady pace. It was slowly getting ever so slightly colder, but it was nothing the duo couldn't handle. Nova's fur kept her warm enough while Jack barely felt the cold at all, mostly because of his robes which somehow seemed to radiate warmth when it was cold out. The sun was setting at this point, its rays shining over the mountains to their left and painting everything in blazing reds and oranges.

Nova had fished out her nearly completed wooden carving, which had taken the unmistakable form of a Lucario. The only parts that remained to be carved were the lower legs. She formed a knife of solid aura as she started carving away at the remaining wood.

Watching her carve, Jack was pondered how amazing it must be to create something that beautiful from a simple block of wood. To watch it slowly take shape in your hands, or paws in Nova's case. All of a sudden, he had an irrepressible urge to try it himself.

Driven by his newfound desire to create, Jack climbed a nearby tree and began looking for a suitable-looking branch. Finding a limb that seemed to fit the bill, being several inches in diameter, he summoned an auric blade and sawed off a piece about a foot long.

With a roughly cylindrical block of wood in hand, Jack shrank his rough auric saw into a small knife and… couldn't figure out what to do next. He knew the general idea was to cut off little pieces of wood until it looked like something, but beyond that he had no idea where to begin. He hadn't even thought of what he wanted to make.

Jack sighed, it looked like he'd have to get some advice from someone who actually knew what she was doing. Hooking his legs underneath the branch he was sitting on, Jack fell backwards so he was hanging upside down from said branch.

"I don't suppose you could show me how to do this, could you?" he asked with a straight face.

Nova looked up at Jack and a small, almost nostalgic smile worked its way onto her muzzle. Standing up, Nova started to climb up the tree as well until she was on the same branch as Jack.

"I suppose I can, though I have to say having the ability to make illusions is quite helpful," Nova replied with a smile.

Jack nodded in acknowledgment. "Yeah, I can imagine so."

"Well, I don't know exactly how to teach someone how to carve, but I can try," Nova responded, her friendly smile still present as she too swung out under the branch on her legs, her mane falling below her head. "I started off with basic shapes like circles, squares, and stars."

"Hmm," Jack muttered, staring at the block of wood in his hand as though hoping to conjure a shape into existence. "Alright then. I wasn't going to do any too complicated anyway, I just thought it looked interesting and I wanted to try it out."

"Ah, I see. It helps keep my mind busy. One tip I would say is to make each slice as steady and smooth as you can. Don't try and force the knife through the wood too hard," Nova stated as she carved off another piece of wood.

"Hmm," Jack murmured again, his attention still fixated on the block of wood. He had the beginnings of an idea of what he wanted to carve, but he was still working on the details.

"I'm sure you will get the hang of it if you practice long enough," Nova replied with a sly smile as the two of the hung upside down from the tree.

Jack rolled his eyes. "I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say that was meant to be a pun..."

"Well, you already are out on a limb," Nova continued, her sly smile growing ever so slightly.

Jack facepalmed and shook his head. "That's kinda the point."

"I thought the point was on the tip of my spear."

"That joke's been done to death at this point," Jack shot back. "And no that wasn't another point pun."

"Fine," Nova said, faking a pout as she continued to work on her small carving.

"So," Jack commented. "Do you hang out like this often?"

"I haven't lately, but I used to do it quite often. Especially when surprising people," Nova responded.

"Makes sense," Jack replied with a nod before returning his focus to the block of wood in his hand.

There were a few moments of silence, but then Jack glanced back over at Nova. There was a question he'd wanted to ask her for a while now, but he wasn't sure if she'd want to answer it. Then again, it was something that would probably be useful to know if he ended up squaring off against that Lucario again.

"Hey Nova," he said. "Do you mind if I ask you something?"

"Sure, I guess so," Nova stated, catching the more serious tone in his voice.

Jack flipped back upright so he was sitting on the branch instead of hanging from it.

"I was just wondering, and I never actually asked before," he continued. "You don't have to answer if you don't want to, but… why did Lucario join Alpha in the first place? From what you've told me about him, I can't imagine him allowing them to blackmail him or something like that."

Nova listened to Jack's question before letting her legs straighten out, allowing her to fall to the ground. She did a graceful flip and landed on her hind paws.

"To be honest… I am not entirely sure, but I do have a speculation…" Nova replied in a somber tone.

"Do you want to tell me?" Jack asked, hopping down from the tree as well. "Or is it… private?"

"No, it's not, and I don't mind telling you," Nova started. "It is bit of a story as to what happened, so I hope you don't mind."

Jack shook his head. "Not at all, go right ahead."

"Well, the two of us were helping the the Saldaran military track down and destroy Alpha bases. After an attack on a city, Lucario managed to narrow down the location of another base to the mountains in the northeast sector of the region. The two of us along with a small group of soldiers infiltrated the base and sabotaged it. However, when we were getting out, Lucario was captured… The next time I saw him, he was with the Gallade hybrid, Damocles I believe he called himself… Anyways, he had a strange metal contraption on his head. I believe that is the source of why he is helping them. Even then he managed to briefly overpower it and tell me to run…"

"I remember seeing a metal… 'thing' on his head too," Jack said. "You think they're using it to control him somehow? That might explain why his aura felt so strange."

"I noticed that his aura was different too. And yes, I do believe that is how they are controlling him," Nova replied, nodding her head in agreement.

Jack furrowed his brow. "In that case… what do you think would happen if we got the device off his head somehow? He might just go back to normal, or..."

"Or…" Nova repeated, somewhat worriedly.

"The way I see it," Jack continued, folding his arms, "It all depends on exactly what that device is doing to him. Forcing it off might return him to normal, but it might just as easily damage his mind. Maybe even irreparably."

Even as the words left Jack's mouth, he knew he should've kept them to himself. The look of horror that spread across Nova's face made him feel like a monster; he'd just brought her whole world crashing down around her. It was obvious Nova couldn't bear the thought of damaging her mate's mind.

"Then again," he hastily corrected himself, "it's not like we have no way of knowing. Some Alpha scientist probably invented that device, and if we can get to him we should be able to get him to tell us how to get it off safely. Or maybe we could just smash it to bits and it wouldn't do anything to him, who knows?"

Nova nodded her head slowly, still somewhat scared of what could happen if the two of them were not careful.

Jack sighed. "Look, whatever else happens I promise you this much. We will get Lucario back to normal, I'll make sure of it. No matter how long it takes or what I have to do."

Nova smiled. It was a kind of sad smile, but it was an improvement. "Thanks, Jack."

Jack opened his mouth to speak, but then he sensed the presence of another aura signature less than a mile north of them. A spark ran down Jack's spine as he recognized who it was.

"You feel that, right?" Nova asked, her ears perking up as she turned her head towards the aura signature.

"Yeah," Jack replied, his eyes also intently pointed north. "Unless I'm mistaken, which I very rarely am, we have a hybrid incoming. I think it's that weird Gallade we fought at the fort."

"I agree," Nova said, her expression turning more steeled as she closed her eyes and concentrated. "He isn't moving very fast…"

Jack smirked. "Ambush?"

Nova opened her eyes and once again nodded her head. "He cannot sense me. I will go forward and get around him while you wait here for him," she suggested.

"Sounds like a plan," Jack replied. "Just so you know though, I have no intention of letting you have all the fun. If things go south, I'll be there in the blink of an eye."

"Alright," Nova stated before running up to one of the trees and expertly climbing it before moving noiselessly through the branches.

To Jack's credit he waited a good minute at least. When he finally sensed that Nova had taken up her position, he waited another several seconds to make sure she hadn't been spotted. He didn't sense anyone else other than Nova and the hybrid, but he was hesitant to assume that meant there wasn't anyone. Eventually though when Nova didn't engage the enemy, Jack took it as an invitation to create a diversion.

In the blink of an eye he teleported a few meters in front of the hybrid, his arms crackling with voltage in anticipation of a fight. However the sight that met his eyes stopped him in his tracks, and sent a stab of doubt into his mind.

The hybrid, Damocles if Jack remembered correctly, had a red-stained cloth wrapped around his left shoulder, and the rest of him was covered in dirt and grime. His overall appearance seemed ragged, like he hadn't rested or stopped in several days, and his steps were uneven. As much as Jack wanted to feed the hybrid a lightning-flavoured knuckle sandwich, he couldn't quite bring himself to attack. He noted Nova's position, hidden amongst the trees as she continued to silently observe the hybrid, and decided to let the situation play out as it would.

"It's about time…" Damocles muttered, obviously not the least bit surprised at Jack's sudden appearance.

Jack furrowed his brow. "You seem awfully confident for someone who looks like they just crawled out from under a rockslide…"

Damocles didn't respond at once, instead staring down at Jack for a few seconds. "My confidence is well founded, boy, as you have yet to attack me."

"I'm not sure I even have to," Jack replied, still struggling with himself as to what to do.

"You are most likely correct…" Damocles sighed, shaking his head as he tried to remain standing tall for the sake of his pride. "Let me make it clear that I have no intention of fighting you, even if I could."

With that Jack came to an executive decision. Sparks stopped arcing off his arms and he folded them across his chest. He couldn't attack someone in Damocles' condition, especially if they weren't even being hostile. That and, as Jack looked closer at Damocles, he noticed that the hybrid's aura lacked both the malice and apathy that he'd noticed when they fought last time. In its place the white and gold Gallade's aura was full of guilt, and yet he also seemed almost… at peace. Jack was thoroughly confused at this point, but he wasn't going to let it show until he got some answers.

"You look like a stiff breeze might blow you over," Jack asked, feigning indifference. "What happened to you, if I might ask?"

Damocles took in a deep breath of air as he closed his eyes. "I took the advice of someone I once swore to kill…"

One of Jack's eyebrows shot up quizzically. "Just so you know, I'm not overly fond of cryptic comments…"

Damocles let out a short, painful laugh at Jack's words. "Well, I would say that is quite the misfortune for you. Although, I suppose this is neither the time nor place for them… As to answer your question, I stole some very valuable information from Alpha."

Jack's eyebrows sank back down again. "Did you now… And why would you do something like that?"

"I suppose that it was because I was tired of being their slave, being seen solely as a weapon for them to use," Damocles started. "Perhaps it was also because that I was… well, let's just say I no longer have an appetite for killing at their orders…"

Jack tapped his foot on the ground thoughtfully, as if hesitant to trust Damocles. In actuality, he could easily see the truth in the hybrid's eyes. They were full of conviction and satisfaction, the eyes of someone who knew they were finally on the right path. Still, they hid immense sadness and guilt for past transgressions and a desire, almost desperation, to somehow wipe the slate clean.

" _He needs Christ,"_ Jack thought, somewhat surprised at himself for even considering it. " _He needs to know that he can be forgiven."_

"And why should I trust you? How do I know you're not just the bait in some elaborate trap?" he asked pointedly, figuring he'd better keep up the facade of suspicion for a while longer..

"You don't," Damocles answered before he once again closed his eyes. "Still, I have spent the better part of a week trying to find you. I figured you would come up this way as it is the easiest way to Alpha's main base. A location I have memorized along with every other secret base they have in the region."

"Awfully tantalizing," Jack commented. "But too easy to fake. If you want me to take your word, you'll have to give me something… more."

"And I thought you said you weren't fond of cryptic comments," Damocles said with a painful chuckle.

Jack shrugged. "I'm not fond of having to decipher them. I have no qualms with using them myself. At any rate, what I want is information the Lucario you were with. You were his quote-unquote 'partner.' You obviously know how to control him, so do you know how to free him?"

"Not a question I thought you would ask…" Damocles muttered before he started looking around at his surroundings. "I would not think you to care for such a topic, boy. However, I certainly know someone that would. And if you are asking, I assume that she is nearby."

Jack shrugged again. "If she was I wouldn't tell you. I don't trust you, remember?"

"It was more of an observation than a question," Damocles responded. "Anyways… yes, I do know how to free him. However, it would be near impossible for you to disengage the device that is controlling via the proper methods as it is biometrically locked."

"If the device were to be removed or destroyed without being deactivated first, what would happen?" Jack asked.

"To the best of my knowledge, your friend would be free. The device simply suppresses his free will. Without it doing so, there is no reason to believe there would be any damage to his mindscape," Damocles replied, his voice somewhat strained.

Jack nodded. "Okay, that's a relief. I just have one more question, which I hope you can answer. Some time within a last few weeks, a helicopter carrying a team of Alpha commandos entered Saldara from Sinnoh. It had on board a metal box about the size of a backpack, which served as a portable Pokémon storage system. Do you know where it is now?"

"I believe I overheard something about a team returning from Sinnoh with a recovered prototype. Don't know much of anything about it. As for a location, I imagine it would be in the research and development lab. Section four, sublevel three," Damocles answered. "Now I do hope that is the last of your questions. If it is not too much to ask, could you get your friend down here. I have read that aura users like her can heal wounds and I would rather not die from this bullet wound."

Jack felt a stab of guilt. He'd been so focused on getting answers that he hadn't thought about how severe Damocles' injury might be. Looking at it now, he realized that the hybrid had lost an awful lot of blood. Depending on how long it was since it was opened, the wound was probably infected too. He didn't know if Nova knew how to treat a wound like this, or even if she would considering that, based on what he could sense in her aura, she still harboured a certain amount of animosity towards the hybrid; for which, all things considered, he couldn't blame her

"If it's healing you want," Jack replied, struggling to keep his expression from betraying his true thoughts, "I can do it myself just fine. Somehow I doubt my friend would want to get too close to you anyway, and personally I'd rather not give away that big an advantage. I'm sure you understand."

"Very well, I suppose it matters not," Damocles muttered as he carefully sat down on the grass.

Jack walked over to the injured hybrid and held out his hand at Damocles' shoulder. Taking a deep breath, he then placed his palm directly on the wound.

"Brace yourself," Jack told him. "This is going to feel really, really strange."

"Compared to what I have felt, I doubt it," Damocles countered, though his tone of voice wasn't overly harsh.

Jack closed his eyes and focused on the wound, sending tendrils of aura into Damocles. The bullet had gone clean through the hybrid's shoulder, fortunately missing the bone and major muscles. Those would've been much harder to repair, but as things stood Jack knew he could do it. Even the infection wasn't nearly as bad as it could have been, and Jack managed to purge it with minimal effort.

Then came the hard part, actually healing the wound and restoring as much lost blood as possible. Sinking his auric tendrils right into Damocles, Jack began pouring energy into the cells around the wound allowing them to multiply at a dramatically increased rate. It had taken him weeks of poring over biology textbooks before he could replicate the Healing Wish technique he'd once used to save Jason's life, but now he knew exactly where to apply his aura for the greatest effect. Even so, it would still take an enormous amount of aura to heal a wound this large.

As the hole slowly filled itself up with new cells, Jack began to stimulate nearby bone marrow allowing it to produce more red blood cells. To replace the other fifty-five percent of the blood he'd lost, the plasma, Damocles would just have to drink plenty of water. In total the process took less than two minutes, and that was only because Jack took extra time to be methodical and thorough. He even got rid of the scar afterwards so that, when he removed his hand and undid the makeshift bandages, there was no sign that Damocles' shoulder had ever been injured.

The whole ordeal took more out of Jack than he cared to admit, but he wasn't quite done yet. Damocles' body was still covered in smaller cuts, scrapes, and bruises which he imagined probably hurt like the dickens. More than a little compassion crept into Jack's expression as he moved around behind the hybrid and knelt down.

"Just hang on a little moment longer," Jack said, putting both his hands on Damocles' back. "There's just a few more things I want to patch up."

Damocles silently nodded and leaned forwards ever so slightly as to give Jack a better angle. Jack couldn't help but tear up a little as the wounds on Damocles' back reminded him of washing Lucy's fur right after he won her from Paul. As he started siphoning his aura into Damocles' many smaller wounds, Jack sighed.

"Just so you know," Jack told him quietly, "I believe you, and I've decided to trust you."

"And I suppose this should be the moment I should thank you," Damocles responded.

"Pretty much," Jack replied, still focusing on his work. "Although depending on how useful the information you gave us turns out to be, I might be the one who has to thank you."

"Pheh, my entire life has been a lie. Don't thank me for attempting to right my many wrongs," Damocles countered with a certain amount of harshness in his voice, though Jack didn't think it was directed at him.

After a moment of silence Jack stopped the flow of aura and fell backwards into a sitting position, pulling his legs up in front of him. He was thoroughly exhausted, having siphoned off a significant amount of his aura. Not a dangerous amount, but enough to make him really, really tired. He couldn't stop his shoulders from sagging, or his hands from shaking.

"Alright, all done," he said, fatigue apparent in his voice as he wiped a film of sweat from his brow.

Damocles was silent for a moment before he stood up and stretched out some. His previously sore and weak muscles having been given a new revival. He turned around and looked at the boy who had healed him. His face was a mix of emotions, but the most prominent was confusion.

"I am no aura expert, but I am well enough informed to know that you did more than was needed," Damocles said before pausing for a moment. "Why?"

Jack leaned back further, using his arms to support him as he stared up at the evening sky ablaze with the light of the setting sun.

" _Why?"_ he thought to himself with a small chuckle.

"You were hurt, and I'm a healer," Jack said in barely more than a whisper. "Do I need a reason to do the right thing?"

Before he could utter another word, Jack's arms collapsed under him and he fell backwards onto the grass. He was unconscious before his head hit the ground.

* * *

"Like this, Sensei?" Jack asked, using his aura to heal the broken wing of a young falcon.

"Yes, that is excellent young Storm," said the elderly monk, Jack's instructor in the healing arts. "Your skills have improved remarkably. Truly impressive. Keep practicing like this, and you could well be a master healer one day."

Jack nodded gratefully. "Thank you Sensei."

"One more thing, young Storm," the monk added. "I know of your heritage, and I know full well the path your tread. If you will, allow an old man to impart to you some hard-learned wisdom."

"Of course, anything you say I will listen," Jack replied respectfully; the man before him was probably one of the wisest people he'd ever meet.

"Healing is a incredibly useful skill to have," the monk continued, "but it is by no means an all powerful art. It is easy to exhaust oneself when healing serious injuries, and an unconscious healer is no use to anyone. And one thing you must always remember, even a master healer cannot bring someone back from the dead. If you truly wish to protect someone in combat, do not count on being able to heal them after the fact. Instead, strive to ensure that they require no healing in the first place."

Jack nodded solemnly, understanding that this was a lesson the elderly monk had learned the hard way. "Yes Sensei, I will be sure to remember that."

The dream faded as Jack returned to consciousness, a blinding spear of light slipping through his eyelids as they opened.

"Ugh…" he groaned quietly at the unwanted illumination, rolling over onto his side. ""Five more… minutes…"

"Fine then, I guess you will miss dinner," he heard a familiar voice say, although he couldn't quite remember to whom it belonged.

Jack let out a quiet snort of disapproval. "Fine… I'm up, I'm up…"

He yawned widely enough to show all his teeth, and his eyelids fluttered open as he attempted to fully wake up. He saw a black and blue muzzle staring down at him and, for one blissful moment, his sleep-clouded mind thought it was his adoptive mother. Then he remembered where he was and what had happened. He felt a tear try to work its way out of his eye and he struggled to suppress it.

"So…" he asked with another enormous yawn. "What did I miss?"

"Truthfully, not much of anything," Nova responded as she leaned back and sat down on the grass, crossing her legs in front of her. "You were only out for a few minutes."

Jack looked around and his eyes settled on Damocles. "You're still around I see. Not going to heal and run then?"

"And where per se would I run to?" Damocles replied, almost sounding lost for a moment as he looked up to the barely visible stars.

Jack glanced back up at Nova and shrugged, sending her the telepathic equivalent of a tap on the shoulder.

" _Yes?"_ Nova replied.

" _Well, what do you think? Of Damocles I mean,"_ Jack asked, his mental voice still somewhat faint from exhaustion.

" _He seems genuine enough,"_ Nova answered with a mental shrug.

" _Yeah, that's pretty much the conclusion I came to as well. Still, does that mean you trust him completely?"_ Jack responded.

" _I trust him enough… not completely, but enough to say we get the information he has to offer,"_ Nova replied.

Jack nodded mentally. " _Alright then, I just wanted to make sure we were on the same page. In that case, let's see what he has to say."_

Jack pulled his mind away from Nova's, then he propped himself up on his arms and sat up straight.

"Alright Damocles," he said aloud. "You said you have some information for us on Alpha's secret bases, so let's hear it."

"I see that the two of you have finished then," Damocles replied. "Very well, I assume you have a map of some kind?"

Jack nodded. "Yeah, I'll go get it."

With a rush of air and a crackle of electricity, Jack teleported back to their makeshift camp and rifled through his bag. It didn't take him long to find a roll of fire-resistant, heavy duty canvas. He'd had the foresight to 'borrow' it on his way out of General Ford's office. Map in hand, Jack then teleported back to where Nova and Damocles were waiting for him.

"Alright, here it is," he said, crossing his legs and unrolling the map across them.

"Anything to write with, or are you going to memorize the latitude and longitude as I have?" Damocles inquired.

Jack held out his right hand and a spark played across his fingers. "I've got it covered. Just give me the coordinates."

Damocles nodded before listing off all the coordinates for the five remaining bases that Alpha had in Saldara. Jack marked the locations with his finger, leaving small scorch marks on the surface of the map. There were two up in the northwest region of the Touros Mountains, one along the coast in the north, and two along the southern coast.

"And which of those is the headquarters for Alpha?" Nova questioned.

"This one here," Damocles replied, pointing at the slightly more southwest of the two in the mountains. "The closer of the two."

Jack drew a little star around the location. "In that case that's where we'll be heading first, or so I assume."

"That is where the hybrids operate from, correct?" Nova inquired.

"Correct," Damocles answered with a slight nod of the head.

"Are there any other places of particular significance we should know about?" Jack asked.

"None that I know of. My former masters were not to fond of giving us information that we did not need to know," Damocles responded, folding his arms across his chest.

Jack nodded. "Understandable. I just have one more question, will you be coming with us?"

"It is not something I have thought about…" Damocles said as he turned his gaze towards Jack.

Jack grunted with exertion as he pulled his legs up underneath him and rose shakily to his feet.

"Well," he stated, trying not to topple over, "It doesn't look like we're going anywhere for a while so you have some time to come to a decision."

"You said you wanted to right your wrongs," Nova started, a harsh edge in her voice as she glared at Damocles. "I guess we will see how true that is."

Nova turned around and went back to a nearby tree before leaping back into and disappearing in its branches. Jack took a tentative step and then, when he didn't fall down, began to make his way slowly back to camp as well. By the time he made it back his legs felt like jelly and he regretted not teleporting, but at least he now knew the extent of his exhaustion and roughly how long it would take him to recover.

"Better come up with an answer quick, Damocles," Jack muttered as he flopped onto the ground, too tired to climb into a tree. "With any luck we'll be setting out tomorrow."

* * *

"So," Jack asked no one in particular. "What are we going to have for lunch…?"

Nova dropped down out of a nearby tree and walked over to where Jack was lying on the ground with his arms crossed underneath his head as a pillow. They still had a good amount of the jerky that Luke had given them, but no doubt she'd want to save it till they got further north and it would become harder to scavenge for food.

"I saw some berry bushes a bit back, I am sure we could get something to eat from them," Nova said.

"No doubt," Jack mused. "Well, I guess I might as well stretch my legs a little."

"Yeah… I personally think you overdid it yesterday…" Nova replied evenly.

Jack shrugged. "If I'd only healed enough to keep him alive, the rest of his wounds would probably have taken weeks, maybe months to heal naturally. Not to mention they probably hurt like crazy. By tomorrow I'll be fully recovered, and the only pain I felt was right in the pride for fainting in front of you. I think the tradeoff is pretty good all things considered."

" _That, and I was hoping to make a point,"_ he thought to himself.

"I guess so…" Nova mumbled, obviously still holding a grudge against the hybrid.

" _Good grief,"_ Jack thought to himself with a sigh, " _I guess it's time to lighten the mood."_

Jack took a deep breath, then with one swift motion he catapulted himself into the air. He flipped backwards head over heel once and landed on his feet. He then started doing some stretches, loosening his joints which were stiff from lazing around for most of the day. He'd mostly recovered from the excessive amount of aura he'd lost yesterday, and he was eager to show it.

"That's better," he commented, cracking his neck.

"Heh, I would imagine so," Nova said with a small laugh at Jack's little performance.

Jack meshed his fingers together then stretched his arms above his head, letting out a toothy yawn. He was relieved to see his antics had improved the somewhat gloomy atmosphere.

"Alright then," Jack continued cheerfully. "Where are those bushes you were talking about?"

After gathering a few handfuls of ripe berries from various bushes in the general area, the two of them returned to their campsite. Sitting down, the two of them ate the berries they had gathered in relative silence. By now the sun was at the peak of its rule over the day, and its rays were filtering down through the foliage above them giving everything a mottled green tint.

"So," Jack asked after he'd finished off the last of his berries. "Where's Damocles at? I haven't seen him since yesterday."

"Probably where we left him," Nova answered as she sent out a quick scan with her aura and confirmed her hypothesis.

Jack snorted softly. "What's he been doing all morning?"

"How should I know?" Nova said with a shrug. "I'm no psychic."

"Even if you were, so is he," Jack replied. "He's got so many barriers around his mind it looks like… a really impenetrable thing, I don't know."

"An impenetrable thing," Nova stated, rolling her eyes as she smirked at Jack. "Great description."

"Whatever," Jack continued quickly. "My point is that's why I didn't just read his mind to see if he was telling us the truth in the first place. I couldn't get in."

Nova simply nodded her head in understanding. "Well, I do believe that we are ready to get going again. How about we go pay him a visit?"

"Sounds good," Jack replied. "I want to know whether he's coming with us or not."

"As do I," Nova said, although from her tone it sounded more like she wanted to rigorously interrogate him.

The two of them quickly packed up their small camp and set off to where Damocles had spent the night. It didn't take them long to reach the location. When they entered the small clearing, Damocles appeared to be meditating. Nova stopped a few feet away from the hybrid and glared down at him.

"I suppose you are here for an answer," Damocles muttered as he opened his eyes and looked at the duo.

"You suppose correctly," Jack shot back with a grin, crossing his arms. "Well, what's it going to be. Are you coming with us?"

"I will assist you," Damocles said as he stood up.

Jack glanced at Nova. "In that case, I say we get going. Every second we wait is another second in which something could go horribly wrong."

"Such a cheerful outlook," Damocles stated in an unemotional tone.

Jack grin took on a rueful slant. "I try. But in all honesty our chances of actually pulling this off are nothing to be cheerful about. There's three of us, and few hundred of them. Along with the other hybrids, who I'd also like to hear more about some time by the way. What I'm trying to say is that we're definitely going to need some sort of plan going into this, or it's just not going to work."

"Very well," Damocles responded, again in an even tone as he picked up his sword and shield. "We still have some time before we arrive at the base. More than enough time for formulate this plan of yours."

Jack nodded. "I'd hoped as much."

"Well, let's get going then," Nova said harshly, her tone clearly directed at Damocles. She turned north and started walking, not waiting for either Jack or Damocles.

Jack looked over at Damocles and shrugged. "You heard the lady. We can talk while we walk."

Damocles simply nodded his head in agreement, not wanting to incur Nova's wrath. The two of them followed a safe distance behind Nova. A few minutes later Damocles, who was a few inches shorter than Jack, looked up at him.

"You said you had more questions," Damocles started, "I suggest you ask them now."

Jack nodded. "Yeah, I wanted some info on whatever other hybrids there are. I've only seen you so far, and Nova's Lucario friend of course."

"Very well," Damocles said as he thought back to his former comrades. "There are three others, a Greninja, Charizard, and Serperior. The Greninja, or Nightshade, is the most dangerous of the three. She was hybridized with a Kecleon and can flawlessly blend in with her surroundings. However, she shouldn't be too much of a challenge for you or your fox friend to located with aura. Her dark typing prevented me from being able to fight her effectively. Then there is Falkor, a Charizard mixed with a machamp. He has blue skin and his raw strength is unmatched. If I were you, keep him at range, even then he is still very dangerous. While he isn't the brightest of fighters, he is by no means dull either." Damocles paused for a moment, seemingly trying to organise his thoughts. "The last one is… well she is quite weird even by my standards."

Jack snorted with barely restrained laughter.

Damocles glared at Jack before continuing, "She is a Serperior hybridized with a Seviper. Her speed is quite remarkable in all regards. I honestly cannot tell you much about her as she always kept to herself."

Jack nodded. "I see… So out of all three the only one I can see being a real problem is the Serperior. You really can't tell me anything more about her?"

"No, I cannot. As I said, she was a recluse," Damocles responded.

"Oh well then," Jack sighed. "You've already given us more information than I ever would've hoped for. Not to mention that I didn't have to pry it out of your head, which is nice."

"Yes… I suppose it is," Damocles muttered.

"You two mind keeping up?" Nova called out from ahead, still visible and audibly ticked at the recent addition to their group.

Jack performed a beautiful military salute. "Yes ma'am! Right away ma'am!"

Damocles shook his head and sighed before picking up his pace ever so slightly.

"This is going to be a long trip…"


	27. The Desolation of Alpha: P1

"So, that's Alpha's central base," Jack muttered as the trio looked down at the base from a nearby mountain.

"That is correct," Damocles replied as he glared at the concrete wall that was imbedded in the side of the snow covered ridge.

"Are you sure about this plan?" Nova asked Jack.

"I certainly am," Jack replied, doing his best to radiate a confidence he didn't feel. "The way I see it, this is the only way for us to pull it off."

Nova still seemed skeptical, and for good reason since Damocles' role pretty much consisted of being a distraction for them. Jack wasn't sure how Damocles would react, but the hybrid didn't even give it a second thought when Jack proposed it as a way for them to sneak in undetected.

"If you say so," Nova said, though Jack's facade of confidence certainly seemed to help her regain her own.

"What about you Damocles?" Jack asked, fixing his gaze on the turncoat hybrid.

"Well, I can say that it is less than ideal, but it is as you have said the only way that this plan will work," Damocles responded.

Jack nodded, his face a mask of determination. "Alright then, let's get started."

"Very well…" Damocles started as he took a few steps towards the Alpha base before stopping and turning towards Nova. "In case we never meet again… I hope that you can find it in yourself to forgive me for my horrendous actions."

Without waiting for a reply, he turned back towards his objective. His steps were dedicated and full of purpose. He took in one deep breath before disappearing in a flash. Jack drew a deep breath as he tried to steel his nerves. To be perfectly honest he wasn't at all sure how this attack would play out, or even if any of them would survive.

 _"Shut up,"_ he told himself harshly. _"Start thinking like that and it'll turn into a self-fulfilling prophesy. We will rescue everyone, we will free Lucario, and we'll all make it out in one piece. If I'm going to make that happen, I have to believe it!"_

He didn't believe it though, not quite. To be perfectly honest, he was scared. He knew the power of one Hybrid was at the very least comparable to his own, and that's not even to mention the hundreds of heavily armed soldiers inside the base. He had no delusions about being bulletproof. There was only one problem; he didn't care. Alpha had made a mistake by stealing his friends, and they would pay for it. One way or another.

Jack unconsciously fingered a pouch on his belt inside which, practically radiating an aura of foreboding, was the Mind Plate. If all else failed, and he couldn't protect his friends any other way, it was his ace in the hole. If the mission wasn't going to be an unqualified success, then Jack would make sure that he was the only casualty.

Jack watched as Damocles reappeared in front of the large steel-reinforced concrete doors and proceeded to unleash a series of lightning-fast attacks into them. The first two blows glowed the sky blue of Damocles' Sacred Sword, and the third was an attack Jack recognised as Psycho Cut. It was this third attack that dealt the death blow to the already weakened doors, dicing it up into four chunks that were blasted into the base. With the doors down, Damocles entered the base as alarms began to sound as a result of his attack.

"I'd say that's our cue," Jack commented. "Let's go."

"Alright," Nova said as the two of them started down the slope of the mountain towards the base.

Now came the dicey part. The whole base now knew about Damocles, and he had to hold their attention long enough for Jack and Nova to complete their two primary objectives. Once that was done they'd have Lucario on their side, and from what Nova had told him the battle would be pretty easy from there on out.

It didn't take long for the them to close the distance. Nova was running on all fours with her blue mane flowing in the wind, and Jack easily kept pace with her on her right. Once they were almost at the entrance Nova created an illusion around the two of them. In the blink of an eye, they disappeared from view.

Jack took the lead as they entered the base. He'd already memorized the directions Damocles had given him to the R&D lab, and from there he led Nova down a maze of winding corridors toward their target. Nova followed closely behind him, the narrow corridors forcing them to run single file. Finding a nearby stairwell, they made their way down two levels to the third sublevel. Glancing at a sign, Jack saw that they were still in the first section of the massive underground base.

The pair slowed down as they saw several guard coming their way, each of them wearing black body armor and carrying an assault rifle. Jack and Nova squeezed against the side of the corridor as the squad ran past them towards the commotion that Damocles was causing on the upper levels. Every once in awhile, the walls and floor would reverberate from a massive explosion. Whatever the hybrid had chosen as his target, it was certainly proving to be a good distraction.

 _"That was close…"_ Nova said telepathically once the soldiers had passed.

 _"Kinda, yeah,"_ Jack replied, trying not to betray his growing impatience. _"I don't know about you, but being shot full of holes is not high on my list of things I want to do. Let's try to avoid any more soldiers. Side passages are our friends."_

 _"You don't have to tell me twice,"_ Nova stated in agreement as she and Jack started forwards again. _"Damocles said that these lower level hallways should be mostly empty once he starts his diversion."_

Jack nodded. _"Let's hope he's r..."_

The two of them froze as an Alakazam round the corner in front of them along with a small patrol of four soldiers and one other Pokémon. Jack gritted his teeth as he realised their illusionary shield was now useless. He'd have to deal with the Alakazam before it could alert the soldiers to his presence.

Without so much as hesitating, Jack flung a mental spear at the unfortunate psychic-type just as it turned its head towards him. The Alakazam went stiff as it fought a brief, and hopeless, mental battle with Jack before falling limply to the ground, out cold. The soldiers soon met the same fate, crumpling to the ground like so many ragdolls. The final Pokémon however was a Bisharp, a dark-type who was unaffected by Jack's telepathic assault. Even worse, the Sword Blade Pokémon had quick reflexes and didn't hesitate to turn around and slam its fist into an alarm.

A split second too late, Jack materialized behind the Bisharp and grabbed its head in one hand. Sparks arced off his arm as he unleashed a powerful Thunderbolt point blank into the unfortunate Steel type, who then crumpled to the ground smoking slightly.

Jack turned to Nova. "I think we should run."

"Agreed," Nova said as she dropped onto all fours and started off in a sprint down the corridor. Jack was slightly ahead of her as they came to a set of security doors that had closed when the alarm had been sounded. While the doors were nowhere near the strength of the massive outer doors at the base entrance, they still looked strong enough to be a deterrence.

Jack didn't so much as hesitate before slamming his fist into the barrier with an explosive release of aura. The door was unceremoniously wrenched from the surrounding walls and thrown several meters down the corridor.

"Come on," Jack said, barely breaking stride as darted through the newly opened doorway.

Nova simply nodded her head as she passed by what remained of the door. Jack led them down the hallway for while before rounding a corner, following the mental map he'd made based on Damocles' description.

It wasn't long before they encountered another patrol of guards, and this group was more than ready for the two of them. That is, as much as anyone could be ready for Jack. The boy took one look at the group, consisting of about a dozen soldiers and a handful of Pokémon, and growled. A deep, throaty, menacing growl that would have terrified him if he were in his right mind. At this point though he was concerned with one thing and one thing only; finding his friends. These soldiers were slowing him down.

Before the soldiers could so much as fire a shot, Jack waved his hand and a blast of auric energy tore down the hallway like a hurricane and sent the patrol crashing into the walls. When the tempest subsided not one of them was left standing.

Jack continued wordlessly down the corridor, his face twisted into a fierce scowl of frustration. No, he knew it was more than mere frustration. He could feel anger bubbling up inside him, almost ready to explode after being kept bottled up for so long. Like a volcano about to erupt, the white-hot rage that had been flowing beneath the surface of his emotions was starting to leak out through the cracks. He could feel it even making his aura itself unstable and volatile, but he didn't care. All this time he'd forced himself to hide his true emotions for Nova's sake, but now he was so close! He refused to let anything stand in his way.

And so they continued on, Nova not even bothering to cloak Jack in her illusion any more. If they came to a door or other barricade, Jack destroyed it without even pausing. If they met with any guards, Jack wiped them out with a single blast of energy. All the while, anger continued to fill his aura more and more. Every obstacle they faced made Jack increasingly impatient, which led to him dealing with it that much more efficiently. Or maybe a more appropriate word would be 'viciously'.

At this rate, it took them just short of ten minutes to reach the research and development section of the underground facility. Rounding the final corner, they came to a long corridor that ended in a set of massive, metal doors. At the opposite end of the hallway from them were at least thirty soldiers and about eight Pokémon of various types.

Once again Jack didn't waste any time in responding to the threat. In the blink of an eye he had disappeared, and a split second later the enemy ranks were lit up like a fireworks display by powerful tendrils of crackling energy which leapt ferociously from one target to the next. The entire ordeal took less than two seconds, and it left the entire squad of soldiers and Pokémon on the ground smoking slightly.

Jack walked out from amidst the unconscious Alpha troops as if he'd just stopped to crush an ant under his foot.

"This is the place," he said, almost shaking with anticipation as he walked up to the military grade steel doors. He could feel many minds inside, but not soldiers; scientists. No Pokémon. It would be almost too easy.

With a grunt of exertion, Jack dug his fingers into the solid steel doors and pulled. The doors groaned in protest as they deformed underneath Jack's heavy-handed assault. After a few seconds he'd forced the doors apart just far enough for him to reach inside the doors and pry them open from within. It didn't take long before the locking mechanism gave way and the doors flew open. Inside, Jack and Nova could see the surprised faces of the research staff inside the laboratory.

Jack glanced around the room at the scientists, all of whom were frozen in a mix of shock and abject terror. Jack's eyes quickly settled on one man with a red collar on his lab coat, who stood out from the rest of the staff who had mostly plain white or a few others with green collars.

In the blink of an eye, Jack crossed the room and grabbed the red-collared scientist by his aforementioned attire. Jack's sudden movement broke the stunned silence that had fallen on the room. As if released from a spell, the other scientists all scrambled for the back exit as Jack hoisted the one he'd captured a few feet into the air and none too gently slammed him against the wall.

The researcher glared down at Jack as he held him pinned against the wall. Apparently the man was either a complete fool, or had nerves of steel. Now that he was finally so close to finding his friends, Jack finally took a few deep breaths and forced himself to calm down a little. The last thing he wanted was for everybody to see him like this.

 _"If Jason finds out I let my emotions get the better of me again,"_ he thought to himself, _"He'll give me a proper earful that's for sure. Lucy would be disappointed in me too; she wouldn't say so, but still. And I don't want Wendy getting any ideas…"_

Thinking about his friends helped Jack get his anger under control again, at least a little. Jason, Cap, Katana, Lucy, Wendy, Aura, Solomon, Ivy, Thomas, they'd all be so overjoyed to see him after so long. Words couldn't even describe how happy he'd be to finally set eyes on all of them again. All that stood between them now was this scientist. As Nova walked up behind him, Jack pondered whether or not he should just rip the information he needed right out of the man's mind.

"Well?" The alpha scientist said, staring down at his two attackers. "I assume you didn't come here to just pin me against a wall."

"No," Jack replied, allowing a bit of a growl to seep into his tone. "We came here for answers, and you're going to give them to us. I'm looking for a device that should have been brought here about a month ago from the Sinnoh region. A portable Pokémon storage system. Know anything about it?"

"Everything in this base is the sole property of Alpha," the scientist replied indignantly.

"If I cared about that, do you think I'd be here?" Jack almost snarled. "What I want to know is what happened to the Pokémon who were inside that device."

The researcher looked down at Jack with a genuine look of confusion on his face. He was silent for a few moments as he tried to think of a proper response.

 _"I would answer him sooner than later,"_ Nova said, _"He is not in a very good mood right now."_

For the sole purpose of emphasizing her words, Jack tightened his grip and raised the researcher a few inches higher. His expression was full of barely restrained anger that threatened to break loose at any moment. This was only mostly for show.

"I know what you're talking about," he managed to croak out. "But there weren't any Pokémon in it when it arrived here."

Jack's expression hardened and his mouth twisted into a snarl, his anger starting to spiral out of control again. It was obviously a lie, it had to be a lie. He'd just admitted the Pack was here, and if the Pack was here than so was its contents. He refused to let this scientist keep him from his friends.

"Don't lie to me," he snapped, his voice rising in volume. "I'll rip the truth right out of your mind if I have to! Where. Are. They?"

"Jack, calm down…" Nova interrupted him in a concerned tone, taking a few steps forward and putting a paw on his shoulder. "This is not like you… I know you can sense that he is telling the truth."

Jack's scowl grew more pronounced. "We'll soon find out."

Without any further hesitation, Jack plunged into the scientist's mind. If the man put up any resistance at all, Jack didn't notice and couldn't have cared less. He made a beeline for the man's short term memories and, failing to find anything useful there, then moved on to long term. A million images flashed by him, fragments of memories accumulated over several decades. Jack meticulously sifted through them until, finally, he found something. The head scientist, for that's who this man was, had stored the Pack in a hidden high-security storage closet inside the room just off to the left of this one.

Jack could've jumped with unbridled joy, or torn the man's mind to shreds for trying to keep his friends from him, but he never got the chance to do either. Nestled among the other memories concerning the Pack was the first examination the scientist had done on it. The man had told him the truth, Jack's team wasn't inside the Pack when it arrived at this lab.

Jack was shaken. It had to be some sort of trick. But it couldn't be, the man's memories were crystal clear; they also showed no signs of tampering. Jack felt a sharp stab of panic as he desperately looked for something, anything that could tell him where his team was. His first thought was a truly terrifying one, that they'd been removed from the Pack by force and were now in Alpha's hands.

Then Jack found something that froze the blood in his veins, and turned his face white as a sheet. The field report of the commando team that had brought the Pack to Alpha, the same soldiers who had assisted in ambushing him in the first place. The truth of his team's whereabouts was far more horrifying than anything his imagination could've cooked up. It was the bargain they'd struck when they agreed to join forces to take Jack down. The commandos had claimed their objective, the Pack, and Pokémon Hunter J had taken his friends.

The scientist fell to the floor as Jack suddenly found himself unable to hold him up. In fact, Jack couldn't even find the strength to stand any more. His arms fell limply to his sides as he sank to his knees, staring blankly at the floor.

"He was telling the truth…" he muttered to himself, not wanting to believe it. "They're… they're not here."

He felt like his entire world had been swept out from underneath him, leaving him desperately trying to find something to fill the hole. His friends were thousands of miles away and at the mercy of an insane, and possibly vengeful, monster. Jack was absolutely, unequivocally powerless to save them. Even if he managed to find Hunter J, it might very well be too late...

Jack felt tears working their way down his cheeks. He felt helpless, useless. It was all his fault, everything that had happened was because he got cocky wasn't careful enough. What good was all his power if he couldn't even protect his friends with it? A voice in the back of his mind kept telling him to pray about it, but he didn't want to listen. He couldn't bear to talk to God with the thoughts that were currently running through his mind.

"Jack," he heard Nova say softly as she placed a paw on his shoulder, but before she could continue the scientist regained consciousness. The man made a break for the hold Jack had made in the door, but Nova pounced on him and pinned him to the ground.

 _"We did not say you could leave,"_ she growled.

"Let him go," Jack said, rising to his feet. "We don't need him any more."

Nova glanced back at Jack and looked at him for a moment. Finally she nodded and stood up, pulling the scientist up with her and roughly shoving him towards the exit.

 _"Get lost,"_ she said sharply before walking over to Jack

Jack didn't want to stand up, he didn't want to keep moving, and he didn't want to let the scientist get away. He wanted to sit and cry in a corner, wallowing in self-pity and despair. He wanted to just shut down and let the cruel world go on without him, but he couldn't. Nova's touch had shocked some sense back into him, and now that he was finally thinking clearly again Jack remembered the other reason they were here. As much as he hated to admit it, their mission wasn't over yet. They'd failed at one objective, but the other was still well within their grasp. Jack set his jaw. Even if they couldn't save his friends, they could still save Nova's.

Jack took his grief, his guilt, his pain, and his self-pity, and buried them. To numb himself, he dredged up a wave of anger and allowed it to freeze solid over his other emotions; encasing them like an icy shell. He would save thinking about what came next for later, but for now he had a mission to complete; that was all that mattered. Then again...

"We need to get moving," Jack commented. "But first…"

He walked over to a heavily reinforced door at the other end of the lab, and effortlessly tore it from its hinges and placed it on the ground behind him. Looking around inside, at what seemed to be nothing more than a storage closet, he quickly spotted the hidden door to the high-security vault he'd seen in the head scientist's mind. Casting out his mind, he searched for something he knew would be there; something that was easy to find, because faint traces of his aura still clung to it like cobwebs.

Jack latched onto the Pack with his mind and drew it to him, telekinetically blasting through any obstacles in its path. He could feel the Mind Plate passively fortifying his psychic abilities, even from inside the pouch on his belt, but he wasn't ready to dive into it just yet. Just like he couldn't leave the Pack behind. That same stubborn part of him still clug desperately to the hope of somehow, some day, rescuing his friends. Until then he refused to die, he refused to give up.

With a sense of finality, Jack grabbed the Pack out of the air and turned to Nova.

"Alright, now all we have to do is find your Lucario friend," he said calmly, slinging the box over his shoulder by one of the two cloth straps that were still attached to it.

Without so much as another word, Jack walked out of the lab and started down the hallway. Not even waiting to see if Nova was following him. Nova nodded her head as she fell in line behind Jack.

"So," Jack asked, forcibly keeping his voice from cracking, "I assume you can sense your friend, right? Because that'd be really helpful right about now."

Nova closed her eyes and concentrated, obviously searching for her mate.

"Yes, he is with the other hybrids one the main level in some kind of massive storage room," Nova said as she walked. "I… I think they managed to defeat Damocles… his aura is very weak."

Jack nodded. "In that case, we should probably go back him up. Come on, I think I know where they are."

Jack took off down the hallway in the direction from which they'd originally come, and from there he took the most direct route he could find to Lucario's location. Or at least, what Jack hoped was his location seeing as how his auric senses were being dulled by all the activity in the base. He could sense Lucario's aura, and that of the other hybrids, but he couldn't pinpoint them. Even so, as supposed he must be taking the right path because Nova told him they were getting closer.

The few patrols of Alpha soldiers they encountered, Jack dealt with as quickly and efficiently as possible. Usually by simply knocking them out telepathically.

It didn't take them long to ascend the two levels and close in on the storage room. The two of them slowed down as they approached the doors.

"I can sense all three hybrids and Lucario in there," Jack remarked, "But I can't tell what they're doing. I doubt they're just standing around waiting for us though."

"Why wouldn't they though… they already know we are here," Nova replied.

Jack shrugged. "I guess. Still, I can't help but suspect some sort of trap. I almost hope I'm right…"

"You most certainly are," Nova said, "Though it might be as simple as them waiting for us. I don't sense many Alpha soldiers around. As a matter of a fact I only sense one… human…" Nova trailed off. "Hamilton…" she growled a second later, baring her teeth.

Jack recognised her expression, it was the same grim mask he found his face twisted into whenever he let his anger get the best of him.

Jack held out a hand in front of her. "If you have any ideas about rushing in there in a rage, forget it. I don't want to see you get hurt. Besides, I promised to get both you and your mate out of here in one piece."

Nova continued to growl for a moment, but she seemed to listen to Jack and didn't try to get past him. After a few seconds, she closed her eyes and took in a deep breath.

"Thanks…" Nova muttered. "Any idea how to go about this?"

"Easy," Jack replied with a straight face. "I'm going to rush in there in a rage. You can do whatever."

Nova glared at Jack, an unimpressed look on her muzzle. "Seriously…"

Jack narrowed his eyes, a humourless grin splitting his face. "What can I say, I need to let off some steam."

With that, Jack drew back his fist and threw an aura-charged punch into the heavy steel double-doors. The unfortunate pieces of metal groaned in protest, and a second blow blasted them from their setting and sent them flying several meters into the room. Jack took a deep breath, steeled his nerves, and walked inside.


	28. The Desolation of Alpha: P2

Jack came under attack almost immediately. The moment he stepped through the doorway a Water Shuriken came out of nowhere and barreled towards him. There was a crackle of electricity and a brief flash of light, then the attack quite literally vaporized in midair.

Jack cracked his knuckles and surveyed the room. "Well then, is that how you treat a guest? I'm offended."

Jack observed his surroundings, taking in everything that he could. There were large metal containers with various markings on them stacked all around the room. In front of him all four hybrids, including Lucario, were arranged in a semicircle.

The Greninja hybrid quickly disappeared into the shadows, which wouldn't help her at all. The Charizard was a bit to his right atop a stack of containers. The dragon didn't move but glared intensely at Jack. The Serperior was coiled on the floor on his left. Her tongue flicked in and out of her mouth as she started slowly slithering closer to him. Finally, Lucario was standing directly in front of Jack. He was as emotionless and blank as the last time they had fought.

Jack sensed Nova sneak in behind him under one of her illusions. He could tell she was anxious about Lucario, and whoever this 'Hamilton' person was. Jack trusted her not to do something stupid though, unlike himself. He intended to do a lot of stupid things in the very near future.

"Not much for banter I see," Jack continued at the general silence. "Oh well, I guess I'll just go ahead and beat you all to a pulp then. I feel it only fair to warn you though, I'm not in a good mood. You may regret not running soon."

"Shut up," the Charizard hybrid growled, darting forward and bringing all four of his arms down at Jack's head.

A cloud of dust and concrete shards flew into the air as the floor shattered under the blow. When it settled, Jack was standing with his left arm raised above his head effortlessly holding off the hybrid's attack. The air around him was literally glowing with energy. White hot sparks crackled around his body in slow motion.

"Like I said," the boy continued, his eyes glowing like molten gold. "You may regret not running when you had the chance."

Before the hybrid could so much as think of doing anything, Jack struck. Energy flowed through him, flooding his entire body and supercharging every muscle. With a single thought he sent a tidal wave of energy racing down his right arm like a bolt of lightning.

There was a blinding flash of light and a noise like thunder. One moment Falkor was standing over Jack, the next he was halfway across the room. The hybrid crashed into a stack of metal containers, causing them to toppled over onto him. When the hybrid managed to free himself, there was a red hot patch of charred flesh in the middle of his chest.

Jack stood with one arm extended, his hand open as if to show that he'd chosen to strike with a flat palm instead of a fist. The harsh scent of ozone filled the room, as did the foul smell of burned meat. After a moment Jack sighed and lowered his arm, not even bothering to drop into a fighting stance as he stared down the hybrids.

"So," he remarked. "Who's the next least intelligent of you?"

The hybrids' only response was to charge Jack all at once, now knowing better than to fight him one on one. Jack's eyes immediately singled out the invisible Greninja, Nightshade, as his first target. She was obviously the glass cannon of the group, so it'd be best to take her down quickly. Jack was about to launch an attack, but Nova made her move first. The Zoroark was obviously thinking along the same lines as Jack as she targeted the Greninja first as well, tackling the Ninja Frog Pokémon to the side from within her illusion.

Jack made a mental note to return the favour some time. Now he only had three opponents to worry about. A split second after Nova tackled Nightshade away, Jack launched himself into the air as well. In the blink of an eye he'd landed a devastating lightning strike on each of the three remaining hybrids, knocking them clean out of the air before landing lightly on his feet himself.

Meanwhile, Nova's attack caught the Nightshade completely off guard. Before the Greninja could react, she cried out in pain as a powerful attack hit her in the back. Nova smirked as her Night Slash connected. While it wasn't the most effective of techniques type-wise, it certainly left a mark.

The hybrid let out a growl as a blue pulse of water between her webbed hands. Jumping into the air, she unleashed the powerful Water Pulse directly underneath her. The attack hit the ground and burst into a giant wave of water that spread out in a circle from the point of impact. Nova jumped backwards before climbing atop one of the containers as the wave of water swept across the rest of the room. Jack glanced over just in time to see it, and he grinned viciously as he saw a film of water cover the floor.

"Nova," he said, "Jump."

Nova jumped off the metal container she was on and used her aura to grip onto the wall. As Lucario and the Serperior hybrid got to their feet, or the former did at least, Jack unleashed a tidal wave of electricity into the water at his feet. Even from her vantage point on the wall Nova could feel every hair on her body stand on end. Jack poured every scrap of energy he could muster into the attack. He didn't even notice how much aura it consumed.

The entire room lit up as the immense current raced through the water and metal containers. Nova was careful to avert her eyes until Jack stopped his assault. There was a thud behind her as Nightshade fell to the ground, completely knocked out from the powerful attack. The water that had been covering the ground was completely gone from the extreme heat of the electricity. One of the hybrids was out of the fight, but the other three managed to avoid the attack. Falkor was flying in the air while Lucario had protected himself and the Superior with a shield of aura.

"Well, that's one down at least," Jack commented, a little disappointed that he'd only hit one of them. "Who's next?"

The Serperior and Charizard hybrids immediately went back on the offensive, but before they reached him Jack noticed Lucario breaking away and heading straight for Nova. Jack hoped Nova could keep her friend busy while he dealt with the other two. Then they could work together to get that device off Lucario's head. Jack barely had time to waste planning though, as the two remaining hybrids were almost on top of him.

Nova grabbed the hastae off of her back and charged its surface with aura just as Lucario brought down a staff of aura on her. Raising her spear, she blocked the attack but was not prepared for the following kick to her chest. The attack sent her crashing against the concrete wall and knocked the breath out of her lungs. Her vision was dazed for a moment before she saw Lucario rushing her with Metal Claws at the ready. She grabbed her hastae before rolling out of the way.

The sound of metal scraping against concrete filled the air as Lucario's claws dug into the concrete. Nova swung the end of her spear out and caught Lucario's legs. She had hoped to knock him off of his feet, but he managed to stay standing with the support of having his Metal Claw attack stuck in the wall.

Meanwhile, Jack had his hands full dealing with Falkor and the Serperior. Neither of them had so much as scratched him yet, but he was gradually getting slower and his attacks had less force behind them. The Serperior was fast enough that she managed to avoid a good number of attacks while the Charizard didn't seem to even care when it was hit with even super effective attacks, although he was visibly being hurt by them.

Even so, Jack didn't let up. He wanted to get this fight over with so he could help Nova with Lucario. With a grunt of exertion, he conjured up another surge of power. It was getting harder and harder to maintain his speed and strength, but he couldn't afford to lose his momentum. So he pressed on, oblivious to how much aura he was burning with each attack he launched.

The two hybrids launched a coordinated attack against Jack. Vines launched out of Serperior towards Jack as she attempted to tie him down and allow Falkor to land one of his powerful hits. Jack jumped backwards quickly, leaving a trail of electricity in his wake, but it wasn't fast enough. He could tell there was something wrong the moment his feet left the ground. The Serperior had already used her lightning fast speed to circle and unleashed another Vine Whip towards Jack at nearly point blank range.

As soon as he realized what they were doing, Jack released a surge of electricity that should've fried everything that touched him, but the attack didn't have nearly enough power to take on the hybrid grass type. Though he still didn't realize it, Jack's supply of energy was starting to run dangerously low. The vines quickly ensnared him before throwing him against the ground and lifting him back into the air. Falkor was already above Jack diving towards him. His entire body was surrounded in a bright orange fire, leaving a wake of flames in his path.

Time seemed to slow down for Jack as his mind went into warp drive. He only had a second at most to react before his face was introduced to Falkor's fist. It was a meeting he'd rather avoid if at all possible. He strained against the vines, but he knew he'd never break free in time. If he had something to brace against sure, but he was currently suspended in midair. He doubted he could stop the Charizard hybrid's attack in this position, even a blast of Psychic would only slow him down slightly at best. It was times like this when Jack knew the perfect answer was staring him in the face, and he'd kick himself later for not getting it. If there was a later of course.

It was at that moment that it sunk in fully. If this blow connected, Jack might very well not survive. In fact it was very likely that he wouldn't. This thought sent a spark down Jack's spine. He couldn't die, not yet.

 _'That's right. You can't die now, not with so much left to do.'_

It was as if someone had opened the floodgates. Memories started flowing into Jack's mind like a river of information. Each one slotted naturally into place as if it had always been there, and each one brought a tide of new thoughts with it. Words he'd never heard before, ideas he'd never dared dream of. Then, all at once, the stream was cut off. Jack desperately tried to keep the memories coming, but something kept foiling his efforts.

 _'Sorry, that's all you get. Any more would be dangerous. We're already toeing the line as it is, I don't know how much more we can get away with. At any rate, this should be more than enough for now. If you still have the strength to use it…'_

Jack felt energy course through his arms and crackle from his fingertips, but this time he didn't just let it go wherever it wanted. Without even thinking about what he was doing, as if he'd done it a hundred times and learned it off by heart, he kept the electricity concentrated and focused into a single stream.

With a flash of light and a crackling thrum of energy, the vines surrounding Jack were cut to shreds which only left him with one problem. A split second before Falkor's fist connected, Jack gave himself a telekinetic push to the right allowing the hybrid to barrel past him although it was a dangerously close shave. As the hybrid passed him, Jack lashed out with his new technique and landed a glancing blow on Falkor's back.

Jack twisted in midair and landed on the balls of his feet, but the Charizard wasn't so fortunate and tumbled to the ground like a ton of bricks. Jack's attack seemed to have landed right below Falkor's wings, which he hoped meant that they'd be out of commission. He had other things to worry about however as the Serperior was already rushing towards him, her tail glowing white as she closed in with Leaf Blade.

Jack saw the attack coming at the last second, and extended his hands out as if to catch it. Just before the snake Pokémon's attack landed, an electrical arc jumped between Jack's fingers and stopped the attack cold. The focused stream of energy behaved as though it were a physical object, bending inward from the force of the Leaf Blade, but it didn't snap. Instead Jack gave it a little more power and managed to push the Serperior back long enough for him to teleport around behind the hybrid.

Jack felt his senses sharpen, his concentration narrowing until he could see every movement his serpentine opponent made, every muscle she tensed. He felt electricity flow down his arm and almost reflexively started pooling it in his hand, compressing it into a form that was now quite familiar. He settled into a fighter's crouch, his sword at the ready. This time not made of aura, but white hot lightning.

The Superior glared at Jack, but if she was surprised she certainly wasn't showing it. Her tail started glowing green as she spun around in a circle. With her insane speed it didn't take her long to complete the large, powerful Leaf Storm attack and launch it at Jack. However, he simply blasted it to the side with Psychic.

Knowing he had to take the offensive, and quickly, Jack darted forward. His body moved before his mind could catch up, dodging a secondary Vine Whip attack before he even knew it was coming. He closed the distance between him and his opponent in the blink of an eye and slashed downward with a backhand stroke at her right side.

Despite his amazing speed, the Serperior proved to be faster as she dodged the attack with ease. The snake-like Pokémon attempted to counter attack by sweeping her tail at Jack's feet, but the boy simply leapt backwards over her head. Jack did a flip midair and lashed out at the hybrid from above, cutting clean through the vines she threw up in defence and landing a shallow blow on her back. It was barely a couple centimeters deep, but it was more than enough to prove the deadliness of Jack's newest weapon.

The Serperior hissed viciously at Jack, glaring daggers at him as she flinched from the pain. Every part of her radiated intense hatred, it dripped from her like poison. Even so, Jack felt a stab of guilt at the thought of killing her.

 _'Stop being such a saint! You're about two minutes away from running out of energy. You can't afford to hold back at this point, you're fighting for your life.'_

Jack shook his head. He refused to go down that road again. He would find a way to win without killing them.

 _'Suit yourself.'_

Meanwhile, Nova was managing to hold her own against Lucario. She was fully aware that she couldn't beat him, but in his current state neither could he defeat her. His reactions were sluggish compared to normal, but he was still fast enough to block almost all of her attacks. Even so, she could just as easily deflect and block his blows with her aura-charged spear.

She was currently beating back a rather powerful Metal Claw attack. Twirling her spear around, Nova managed to get Lucario's claws out of position for a brief moment. Striking out with the rear end of her spear, she tried to land a blow against the black and white Lucario. However, he easily blocked the attack with his forepaw, not even flinching as the aurically charged wood slammed against his fur. Nova hoped that Jack wouldn't be much longer as she had no power to break the current stalemate.

Jack swung his glowing sword and intercepted a Leaf Blade attack without even flinching. His new weapon was not only powerful, it felt even more natural in his hand than when he'd made it out of aura. With every stroke he could feel new memories rising to fill the gaps in his mind, gradually tying together the scattered, fragmented images into a cohesive whole. Every time he grasped at that completed memory though, it darted just out of his reach as if something, or someone, were deliberately keeping it from him.

He barely had time to worry about his memories however, as he was locked in a bitter stalemate of his own with the Serperior hybrid. His new sword had won him a huge advantage, and some breathing room, but it was a two edged blade; literally. Ever since he started using this new technique, he'd become painfully aware of exactly how much strain it was putting on his already depleted aura. With every blow he could feel himself moving slower, getting weaker. He'd long since stopped discharging electricity into the air around him, he barely had enough energy to fuel his own body. At most, he was fighting on fumes. He needed to end this quickly.

It was at that moment that Falkor struck. The Charizard Hybrid roared in fury and unleashed a white hot torrent of flames at Jack from across the room. Jack barely managed to jump out of the way in time, the Flamethrower missing him by inches. He felt his hair smoke and his skin crinkle from the heat, but far worse was the knowledge that he'd left himself wide open. He spun around in midair, raising his sword to deflect the attack he knew was coming.

If he'd been a split second slower, the Serperior's Leaf Blade would have likely cut him in half. He could almost feel the hate from her glare as she stared into his eyes. As it was, the force of the attack flung Jack halfway across the room before a metal crate brought his flight to an abrupt halt.

Jack felt something crack in his chest, maybe several somethings. He coughed involuntarily, and saw blood. His injuries didn't hurt for some reason though. In fact he couldn't feel any of the fatigue and pain he'd felt just a moment ago. He wondered briefly what had happened, then he realized that he couldn't feel his legs and his body was slowly becoming numb.

 _"I'm losing consciousness…"_ he thought to himself.

He knew that if he fell unconscious now, both he and Nova were dead. Damocles too. From his vantage point Jack could see the Gallade hybrid lying on the ground, having fainted from his injuries. Or worse...

Despair began to fill Jack's mind. Was this how it ended? Was this how he died, unable to protect his friends, old or new? He could barely find the energy to care. He could feel his mind slipping away.

 _"Help… Me…"_

 _'You've gotten us into a proper mess this time, haven't you Jack. Look at you, no more than a shadow of the boy you once were. Just like me. We're just a pair of shadows you and I, and you've only just started to see the light again. I can't let you die of course. If you die, so do I. I know this is probably the most dangerous thing I could possibly do, but if I don't then we're already dead. I hope you'll forgive me. I promise to go easy on our body.'_

Then everything went black.

* * *

The boy opened his eyes, Jack's eyes, and immediately took stock of his surroundings. The Serperior was closing in on him, her eyes shining with hatred and her Leaf Blade ready to finish him off.

He tried to move, but his body was unresponsive. Even worse, it hurt like the very dickens. The boy estimated that at least one of Jack's ribs was broken, and his spinal cord had been severely damaged as well. The rest of his body was covered in smaller, but no less painful, cuts, scrapes, abrasions, bruises, and other assorted injuries. He wouldn't be going anywhere without some serious healing, but there was no time.

 _"Jack,"_ he thought ruefully to himself, _"You're gonna give us grey hairs at this rate."_

The boy reviewed his options, and concluded that the first order of business was to get his body healed. The only problem was the time constraint, but he knew a good way around that.

 _"I'll have to use my own aura,"_ he decided. _"Jack doesn't have enough left of his own. If I use any of that, it'll kill him. Fortunately, our auras should still be similar enough that I can mix them. We'll soon find out."_

The boy opened his own aura pool and allowed some of it to trickle into Jack's. He'd kept quite a bit saved up for emergencies like this, and a good thing too. He'd most likely need every bit of it if he was going to pull this off.

The Serperior towered over him, savouring his helplessness. He needed to buy time; time to heal, time to plan. Just as the Serperior prepared to strike, her blade over his heart, the boy disappeared.

 _"Much better,"_ he thought.

He was floating in an empty void, surrounded by a thousand tiny point of light as if he were suspended in the night sky. A plane of existence where earthly concepts of space and time had no meaning. It could be entered from anywhere and anywhen, and left the same way. Once here, it took no more effort to travel a thousand miles than it did to go one inch. Going a hundred years into the future, or the past, was just as easy as going back one second after you left. All you had to know was where and when you wanted to end up. And, of course, you had to know that you could.

The boy had been here plenty of times before. It was a place very few people knew about, and a very closely guarded secret among those few. It had taken Jack a while to remember how to travel to this place and back again, to 'teleport' as he called it, but he had no idea how different it was from true teleportation. This boy knew it all too well, and he also knew just how to exploit it.

 _"I was right. His spine is broken,"_ he thought. _"This is going to take a while. Then again, I have all the time in the world."_

And so the boy worked, methodically repairing every injury Jack had sustained. While he was at it, the boy also took the liberty of making a few... aesthetic changes. It was more a matter of comfort than anything else, the boy was used to a few specific features that Jack's body didn't currently have.

 _"I'll change it back later,"_ he promised, although Jack couldn't hear him.

By the time the boy was finished with Jack's body, he'd used up most of the aura he'd already shared with Jack and was forced to donate a little more. That said, the results were worth it. Jack's body was back to full working order, and the boy had even gone ahead and done some much-needed dental work as well. Happy with his work, and more than a little eager to be in control of a physical body again, the boy allowed himself to slip back to his original position in space.

The moment he reappeared, the boy cloaked himself in an illusion that made him all but invisible. The element of surprise was one of his favourite weapons, and he prefered to use it whenever possible.

 _"Unlike Jack,"_ he thought to himself. _"The guy doesn't know the meaning of the word 'stealthy.'"_

Taking a look around, the boy realised that now was not the time to be complaining. He'd reappeared less than thirty seconds later than when he left, but already the Serperior and Charizard were moving to gang up on the blue-furred Zoroark. What was her name, Nova? Yeah, that was it. She'd helped Jack out a lot, so the boy figured now was a good enough time as any to return the favour. With a small grin at the wonderful sensation of having a body again, the boy summoned a blade of crackling golden energy his his right hand and silently closed in on his target.

Nova was starting to falter. When Jack disappeared, she had felt her heart drop. While she knew that Jack hadn't abandoned her, or at least that was what she was telling herself, she didn't know what had happened to him. She couldn't even sense his powerful aura anymore. Now with all three remaining hybrids closing in around her, she knew that she did not stand a chance at winning this fight.

Lucario was effectively holding her in place with his constant attacks. Nova was definitely on the defensive as of this point in the fight. Her movements were slowing down from the prolonged combat while Lucario didn't seem to care at all. She spotted the Charizard hybrid out of the corner of her eye as he readied a Flamethrower that would undoubtedly end this fight if it connected.

Falkor drew in a huge breath, white hot flames building up in his throat ready to be released, then he froze in place like a statue. The flames in his mouth died down, and the dragon's expression changed to one of stunned incomprehension, as a blade of golden energy emerged from his chest.

The Charizard looked down in disbelief at the glowing sword which had impaled him, instantly cauterizing the wound it had created. With a sickening hiss the blade retracted, leaving Falkor standing in stunned silence unable to comprehend what had happened. Then with a thud that shook the whole room, the dragon toppled over and didn't move.

Standing behind the fallen dragon was the boy, his sword in hand. His hair was as black as midnight and his eyes were the same dark, ominous shade of grey as a thundercloud. He wasn't grinning any more. He had intended to stab the hybrid through the heart, but for some reason he couldn't make himself do it. Maybe Jack was starting to rub off on him. At any rate, he didn't have to kill the dragon to take it out of the equation. Assuming its physiology was comparable to that of similar creatures, the boy knew exactly where to strike in order to render the Charizard completely paralyzed for several hours without killing it. His blade even burned the wound closed behind it, so the hybrid wouldn't lose any blood.

 _"It feels almost like old times,"_ the boy thought wryly, although his face showed no emotion. _"Only with more elemental monsters."_

Nova was looking at him with a mix of surprise and fear. It was in that moment that she let her guard down and Lucario connected with Metal Claws against her left shoulder. She let out a cry of pain before turning her attention back to her opponent, but by the time she did the boy had appeared between them.

Lucario struck with Metal Claws again, but the boy countered the attack effortlessly. Another blade of energy appeared in his left hand, allowing him to deflect both of Lucario's attacks at once. It was a style he'd specialised in back when he had a body of his own. The trick was never to face your opponent's blows head on, but instead deflect and redirect them while expending a minimal amount of effort; all the while waiting for any opportunity to strike. Nine times out of ten, it was decidedly effective.

"You might want to tend to that Gallade," the boy said as he parried his opponent's blows, his voice as calm as his expression. "He's going to die soon without healing. And while you're at it, you'd better heal your shoulder too. I'll focus on holding these two off, then once you're done you can join back in."

"Right…" Nova said, obviously still somewhat afraid.

Holding onto her bleeding shoulder, Nova started over to where Damocles' fading aura was. She found him lying on the ground, deep cuts all over his skin. His sword was broken in two and his shield had a massive crack in it. Kneeling down next to his body, she pooled aura into her paws before placing them on the most serious wounds and slowly started healing them. While her healing skills were much more advanced than Lucario's, they did not even come close to what Jack had done last time. That and she could not afford to drain too much of her aura. She had a feeling she'd need it.

After a few minutes, Nova had managed to close up the most life threatening wounds. His aura was no longer fading, but it was not rising either. That was the best she could do though as it meant that he was no longer in danger of dying. She had already exhausted a good amount of her aura to get him to that state, and she didn't dare use anymore of it while there was still a fight at hand.

While she was tempted to heal her shoulder, she decided to simply endure the pain as the three cuts were not too deep. Turning her attention back to Jack, she saw that he was still holding Lucario off. In fact the boy even seemed to be gaining ground, practically dancing rings around his opponent and lashing out with his dual swords. Every once in awhile one of Jack's attacks would slip through Lucario's guard, but they didn't seem to be cutting so much as delivering an electrical shock each time. Even so, Jack didn't seem able to land a direct hit on the device on Lucario's head. Every time he tried, Lucario would either dodge at the last second or deflect it; sometimes even allowing it to hit his shoulder or arm instead.

The Serperior hybrid was still in a state of shock. She had not moved since the human had stabbed her comrade. While she had been particularly distant from the other hybrids, she still saw them as family as it was all she had. Even if they mocked her for her odd ways, she still was willing to fight for them. But to see Falkor lying motionless on the ground after being stabbed in the chest… She was not prepared for that. The hybrids were supposed to be invincible… unkillable… What was currently happening was simply not possible.

Nova had come back to Jack's side, leaving the snake hybrid alone as she didn't seem to be much of a threat at the moment. The last thing she wanted to do was bring her back into the fight. She positioned herself on the other side of Lucario, always keeping him between herself and Jack as to force him to fight on two fronts.

The boy meanwhile was glad to have someone to back him up. His skills were rusty after so long without a body, and he wouldn't be able to keep up this pace for long without burning up too much aura. He could see the target, the device on the back of the Lucario's head, but he couldn't get a clean hit off on it. As much as he hated to admit it, he needed help.

 _"I can get that thing off his head,"_ the boy said telepathically, deflecting another attack and launching a lightning fast riposte. _"But I need a distraction."_

 _"Right,"_ Nova replied, recoiling slightly at his mental voice.

She backed off a bit, allowing Lucario to focus solely on the boy for a moment. It was in that moment that Nova struck, her claws glowing in blue energy with a mix of aura and a Night Daze attack. With the boy holding Lucario in place, she was able to briefly land an attack against the device on his head, tearing away some of the metal and exposing its inner circuitry before Lucario flung her off of his body.

Lucario instinctively turned to protect the back of his head, but at the exact instant he turned away the boy dissolved into a shadow. The inky black shape lunged forward, darting behind Lucario and almost hitting his head in passing. The shadow then gathered back together and solidified into the boy's body again, and in his hand was the mind control device. With the glancing blow he'd scored, the boy had sheared the main hub of the device clean off. After glancing at the butchered device in disgust, the boy dropped it on the ground and crushed it underneath his bare foot.

 _"And that, Jack,"_ he thought to himself, _"Is one more you owe me."_

Lucario had collapsed to his hands and knees, his chest heaving as if he were recovering from drowning. While a few parts of the device remained screwed onto his head, it had obviously lost its control over him. The boy could feel Lucario's aura filling with emotion again, and drastically growing in power at the same time. Whatever else that device had done, it had not only suppressed his emotions but also sealed away a large chunk of his strength in doing so. The boy found himself impressed against his will at exactly how powerful the Lucario was when not under the effects of the device.

"So," the boy commented to Nova. "That's what he's like without that infernal contraption controlling him. Impressive."

"Trust me… you haven't seen anything yet," Nova replied, a certain amount of happiness in her voice.

The boy sighed. "And I doubt I ever will. My time is pretty much up. I used up way too much aura getting this body up and running again, especially after so long… Yeah, I'm going to have to get going now. I'll leave the clean up to you, Jack isn't going to be much help for a while. In fact he'll probably be in pretty bad shape after all this."

Nova only stared blankly at him, one of her ears flopping to the side as she was completely and utterly confused.

The boy met Nova's gaze, his stormy grey eyes containing none of the humor that usually filled Jack's.

"Tell Jack he owes me one," the boy said, before snorting slightly in amusement. "As if we're keeping score at this point. I can't even count how many times I've saved his life now."

"Right…" Nova responded, nodding her head slowly as she was still completely lost as to what was going on with Jack.

The boy closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Now came the tricky part; sealing himself away inside Jack's mind again, and taking as many memories with him as possible. Far too many had leaked through into Jack's mind again, for all he knew it was already too late. Still, for the time being he would work under the assumption that there was still time.

The boy barely remembered to restore Jack's body to the way it normally was before he left. As his hair faded to Jack's normal golden blond, the boy retreated into the furthest recesses of Jack's psyche where, hopefully, he'd be able to hide for a while longer.

 _'Good luck, Jack,' he thought. 'You won't be seeing me again for quite some time.'_

* * *

 _"You wanted power?"_

 _Who... who is that?_

 _"Then I will show you power!"_

Jack's eyes fluttered open, their normal electric blue color restored. "What… How..."

The sound of gunfire soon filled the room as soldiers opened fire. Jack flinched instinctively, but he soon realized the gunfire was not directed at him. The soldiers were shooting at Lucario, who was surrounded by a purple auric sphere that deflected anything that hit it. There was silence for a moment as the soldiers hastily went to reload their rifles, but before they could finish Lucario pulled the weapons from their hands and tossed the firearms out of reach.

The dark purple colored spikes on his wrists started to glow as they elongated into blades running up his arms. The blade on his right side started glowing a light purple as it grew a bit longer.

"Nova… get ready to leave," Lucario said as he glared at the troops that were filling the room. Another squad had come in to reinforce the soldiers already present, though they had yet to attack him.

Nova simply nodded her head as she created an illusion around herself and went over to where Damocles was still lying on the ground. She carefully picked him up, leaving his broken sword and shield behind as she carried him over to where Jack was.

"Wh-what's going on…?" Jack muttered, propping himself up with his arms. "Did we… did we do it?"

"I guess you could say that…" Nova replied as she laid Damocles down on the ground before turning towards Lucario and nodding her head. He then moved and scraped his glowing blade along the ground a bit behind him as he used his other paw to maintain the aura field in front of him as the Alpha soldiers had renewed their attack. A swirling portal of purple energy appeared as Lucario cut through space itself. Nova picked up Damocles before dropping him through the portal. Turning her attention towards Jack, she helped him through the portal as well before looking at her mate.

"Alright, what about you?" Nova asked, her voice full of worry as this situation seemed very familiar to her, and she did not want it repeated.

"I will be right behind you," Lucario started, "I mean it."

With that said, Nova simply nodded before dropping through the portal herself. Once he was alone, Lucario funneled the spatial energy into his other blade. He was about to do the one thing Palkia told him never to do, yet he simply did not care at this point. Swinging his left blade through the air, Lucario ripped through space once again. Then he ducked into the first portal and disappeared from sight.

Jack barely had time to comprehend what was going on. His mind was still struggling to fit itself back inside a body that felt like someone else had been driving it.

 _"It must have been him,"_ he thought to himself, although he didn't consider it strange that he knew who the other boy was. In fact there were a lot of things that he didn't consider it strange to know. He didn't have time to think about that at the moment though, as he seemed to have landed face first in a snowbank.

As he attempted to pick himself up from the snow, there was an ear shattering crack that reverberated throughout the area. Lucario, Nova, and Jack all turned towards its source, the Alpha base. In the blink of an eye, a massive purple dome appeared and encased the entire mountain. Its swirling energy expanded further and further as the distortion in space advanced out from the base. The energy dome had started off massive in size, but now it was simply gigantic.

Then, as soon as it had appeared, the entire bubble of energy disappeared, along with everything that was inside it. All that was left of the Alpha base was a perfectly spherical hole in the ground, clashing starkly with the surrounding terrain.

"Ugh…" Jack groaned, having fallen back into the snow from the shock of the implosion. "What just happened… And why is there a big hole in the ground?"

"I just created a localized… black hole I believe you humans call them," Lucario replied in a grim tone.

"A black hole…" Jack muttered, grinning nostalgically. "I remember the first time I made one of those. My teacher was so mad at me…" Jack's eyes suddenly went wide. "Wait, what? But that's… how can… I..."

At that precise moment, the memories began to fade. It was as if someone was going along with a vacuum and sucking them up, one by one. Jack clasped his hands to the sides of his head, shutting his eyes tightly as though he could somehow hold the memories in place.

"NO... !" he shouted, futily to keep the knowledge he'd regained. "I remembered, I remembered everything!"

Focusing all the strength he could muster, he frantically grabbed hold of whatever memories he could. He fought a desperate, and hopeless, tug of war for them, but it was a losing battle.

"Give it back!" he cried, tears streaming down his face as the last of the memories faded to empty blankness. "Give… give it back…"

Unable to support his body any more, he collapsed to the ground again in defeat. For one brief moment, one brief blissful moment, he had remembered everything. He had known with utmost certainty who he was, who his parents were, and why he was here. Now, he could only stare once more at the blank, empty space where the memories should have been.

"They're gone… the memories are gone…" he moaned listlessly, staring blankly off into the distance.

Jack vaguely heard people talking around him, Nova maybe, but he didn't listen. He was still searching the depths of his subconscious to see if maybe there was anything left. There were bits and pieces, his memories of training with a sword for instance, but not much else. Nothing that told him anything useful. Nothing that answered any of his many questions.

Eventually, Jack gave up looking. It was obvious that whoever had wiped his memories again, they had been extremely thorough. They'd deliberately left him a few memories, maybe as some sort of consolation, but everything else was just… gone.

 _"I guess I'm back to square one then…"_ he thought to himself.

Jack suddenly became aware that Nova's Lucario friend was staring at him. Turning his head slightly, Jack examined the Pokémon he and Nova had fought so hard to rescue. He seemed so… alive compared to before. His aura was full of emotions now, although they seemed to be dominated by an oppressive feeling of guilt at the moment.

"So…" Jack said in barely more than a whisper. "You're Lucario. You're Nova's… friend."

"That is more or less correct," Lucario replied, looking over at Nova who was currently pressed against his side with a happy smile on her muzzle.

The corners of Jack's mouth curled up slightly in a small smile, but it didn't reach his eyes. "So… I guess that means the mission… was a success. We won…"

"That we did," Nova said in response.

Lucario was staring off at the giant crater that used to be the Alpha base. He closed his eyes and exhaled as he clenched his paws, his blades briefly glowing before disappearing. He was obviously trying to concentrate, probably trying to remember what had happened during the time he'd spent under that device's influence. Jack knew what that felt like, although he admitted to himself that he might have just been projecting his own pain onto Lucario.

Jack realized that his assumption had been correct, as Lucario soon fell to his paws and knees. Tears of pain and sorrow streaming down his muzzle, and Jack knew then and there that Lucario had found his memories and wished he hadn't.

"I… I killed them… So many people…" Lucario mumbled through grit teeth as he clenched his paws.

"No, Alpha killed them. You had no choice in the matter," Nova said in a quiet, caring tone after she pulled her head away from his and moved her paws down to his shoulders.

"But I still killed them… They used me to kill who knows how many innocent people…" Lucario replied in a strained voice as he sat up.

"That wasn't you though," Nova responded before carefully hugging her mate, avoiding his chest spike.

Lucario remained silent, not responding as he rested his read on her shoulder. He moved his arms around Nova and hugged her back, though not as tightly as she was holding onto him. They remained in each other's embrace for a few minutes before Lucario pulled back away from Nova. The two of them stood up, snow sticking to their fur as they did so. Jack could see that Nova's presence was a great comfort to Lucario, and he was reminded of the times when Nova had comforted him on this journey. Suddenly, Jack didn't mind so much that his memories were gone. He was just happy that Nova had finally been reunited with her mate. It was enough to send another tear down his cheek, a tear of joy.

"We should get out of here…" Nova stated as she looked around.

Jack was still lying in the snow, staring off into space with his face wet from his tears. When he heard Nova however, he sighed and got to his feet.

"You're probably right," the boy agreed, wiping the moisture from his face before it froze. "It won't be long before someone decides to see what that big purple explosion was. Tell you what, I'll carry Damocles."

"That sounds good to me," Nova replied as she looked up at the cloudless, blue sky. Lucario silently nodded his head in agreement.

Jack walked over to where the Gallade hybrid was lying unconscious. Jack knelt down beside Damocles and put a hand on his chest.

"I assume you're the one who patched him up," Jack commented, glancing at Nova.

"A little bit, yes," Nova responded. "Just enough to keep him from dying."

Jack nodded. "Good job then. I'll give him a once-over when we get wherever we're going. We are going somewhere specific, right?"

"I figured either Axiom or our home," Nova said, "They are both on the way south from here and would allow us to rest for a while."

"Alright then," Jack replied, looking back at the unconscious hybrid in front of him. "Sounds like a plan."

With that, Jack dug one hand into the snow under Damocles' back and the other under his legs. Jack tried to lift Damocles, but as soon as he strained his muscles he could feel them screaming for energy that he couldn't give them. His aura pool was barely a puddle; it was a wonder he could even bear his own weight, there was no way he could carry someone else.

"Okay," Jack remarked breathing heavily, his face white as a sheet. "Maybe I shouldn't be lifting things for a while…"

"I guess I will carry him then," Nova said before walking over to where Jack was kneeling. She knelt next to him before wrapping her paws underneath him and picking him up. It took her quite a bit of effort to do so and she wobbled on her for for a bit upon standing up, but after a bit she was stable.

Lucario let out a small laugh as he shook his head some. Jack wondered what was so funny, then he remembered something that made him feel very silly indeed.

"Nova, you seem to be forgetting something," he said with a faint smile as he walked in front of the two of them.

She looked over at her mate with a look of slight confusion on her face. A long purple blade then materialized from the spike on his right paw. The blade started to glow a light purple as it extended a bit further. He sliced at the air in front of him as another portal opened up.

"After you," Lucario stated as he gestured towards the tear in space.

Nova laughed some as she shook her head. Realizing that a little levity might be just what the doctor ordered, for everyone there, Jack got to his feet. He wobbled a bit, but managed to find his balance.

With a deliberately clueless expression, Jack walked over to the glowing oval suspended in midair. He walked around it behind it, making a show of examining it closely from all angles. He then stuck one finger into the portal and pulled it back out again before turning back to Nova.

"This appears to be a portal of some kind," he deadpanned.

"You don't say," Nova replied as she rolled her eyes and shook her head before making her way through the portal.

Jack hung back a moment and looked at Lucario one last time. He didn't know why, honest curiosity maybe. At any rate, he only took a quick final glance before stepping through the portal. Once Jack was through, Lucario walked through it was well and it closed behind him.

Upon exiting, the climate and scenery was quite contrast to where they had been mere seconds before. The treeless tundra had been replaced by a heavily forested mountainside. The below freezing temperatures replaced by a mild breeze and warm air.

"So," Jack commented. "Where is this exactly?"

"Domus," Lucario replied as he took in a deep breath.

Jack blinked. "And Domus is…"

Nova smiled and glanced at Jack, joy written across her face.

"Home."

* * *

Me: And that concludes the single longest chapter I have ever written to date. I blame Osean for this one, him and his 5k+ word chapters... Anyway, the reason I felt this chapter important enough to commemorate with an increasingly rare author's note is that, as of the last chapter, we've officially passed 100,000 words on this story. We've also done it with thirteen _fewer_ chapters than Book 1. I don't know what that says about my writing. Hopefully something good. I still blame Osean. Anyway, we've also recently passed 150 reviews on this story which is also pretty impressive.

Really guys, I can't thank you all enough for the support you've given my stories. To know that out there, on the other side of the world, someone is reading and enjoying my work... it's a wonderful feeling. But that's enough sappy stuff for one day. If you enjoyed the epic climax to this story arc, please consider leaving even a short review. Especially if you spot any typos or mistake in the chapter, it really helps out. And as always, I'll see you all in the next chapter. Hopefully it'll be a little more tame than this one.


	29. Turning point

The sun was setting over the ocean to the west, its image reflecting of off its waves. Jack took in a deep breath of the mountain air, which was close enough to the ocean to still have a certain amount of salt to it. It was beautiful, that much Jack could say. He couldn't imagine what it must be like for Lucario and Nova, returning here for the first time in so long. Actually, he could imagine it. It was the feeling he'd been cheated out of so many times now, but right now that didn't seem to matter as much. He could feel happiness radiating off Nova, and he could only assume that Lucario felt much the same way.

After a few moments, Lucario turned toward Jack and Nova. Damocles was currently lying on the grass, out cold.

"So… who wants to fill me in on what exactly happened?" Lucario said as he looked at the two of them. "I think I have managed to piece together a good amount of it, but there are still a few things that don't make sense."

"Well, after you were captured at the Alpha base up in the mountains, you just disappeared for about a week. That was when Alpha started using you as a weapon with some sort of mind control device," Nova replied.

"I remember that… I tried to resist it as best I could… I remember encountering you in the forest somewhere and briefly fighting off its control over me," Lucario responded as he closed his eyes.

"Yeah… well after that I went to Axiom and trained there for amount three months," Nova started. "That was when I set out to try and free you. From there, I met Jack when you and Damocles tried to assassinate General Ford. After that it was just the two of us trying to find out where you were. General Ford gave us a general idea of where to look, and Damocles gave us the exact location."

"So I was under Alpha's control for three months…" Lucario mumbled before turning towards Jack. "And I assume you are Jack."

Jack nodded. "Yeah, that's me. Pleasure to make your acquaintance," he replied solemnly, holding out his hand to Lucario.

Lucario extended his paw after a bit and shook Jack's hand. "Likewise," Lucario said before turning to the unconscious hybrid. "And him?"

Jack glanced over at Damocles as well and shrugged. "He helped Nova and me rescue you. He seems like a nice guy. At least he didn't try to stab us in our sleep, which I take as a good sign."

Lucario's eyes narrowed as he glared at Damocles. "Trust me, he is not a nice guy," Lucario countered in a harsh tone. "Though it does appear that he has had a change of heart, but he has a lot of blood on his hands."

Jack looked between Damocles and Lucario, and sighed again. "True, but then again I don't think either of us has the right to be judge and jury. I certainly don't think it's our place to serve as executioner."

Lucario crossed his arms and let out of huff of air. "A noble outlook, I will give you that. However, it is one I have found far too optimistic based on what I have been through."

Jack gazed up at the sky for a moment before replying. "Yeah, I can see why you might say that. And I suppose it is a little optimistic to think that we can be forgiven. We certainly don't deserve to be, no one does. If we deserved to be forgiven, we wouldn't need to be."

Lucario stared blankly at him for a moment, and Jack didn't blame him. He had no idea what he was saying, or why he was saying it. The words were coming out of his mouth, but they were as much a surprise to him as they were to Lucario. He couldn't stop though, the words poured from him like water from a dam about to burst. It was almost as if someone else was speaking for him, or through him...

"Still," Jack continued, looking Lucario in the eyes with a sad smile. "What's important to remember is that if we really want forgiveness, and ask for it, we can be forgiven." Jack paused for a moment, looking back up at the sky thoughtfully. His next words confirmed his every suspicion. "I don't suppose you've ever thought about God, have you?"

"If you are referring to one of your human religions, I am not familiar," Lucario replied. "I have never held humanity in high regard. There are only a few humans that I would ever place my trust in."

Jack shrugged. "Well, I wouldn't say I'm talking about a 'human religion', per se. I don't think it's limited to humans at all. In fact, the Lucarios who raised me lived and breathed in the light of scripture."

"Interesting… I guess that answers one of my questions," Lucario started as he looked at Jack. "I was wondering how you could understand me without telepathy. But on the topic you speak of, I would suppose that you are correct."

Jack now knew exactly what he was doing, it wasn't hard to figure out. What he didn't know was why, and how. He'd gone for so long barely thinking about about God, and he was still struggling to get back into the habit of reading his Bible regularly. Then again, maybe that was why. Maybe… maybe he needed to hear these words just as much as Lucario did. That thought sent shivers down Jack's spine, but he knew he had to press forward.

" _God,"_ he prayed for the first time in a long time, " _Please give me strength and wisdom to profess you. Please use my words to bring Lucario, and me, closer to you."_

"Haven't you ever wondered where the world, the whole universe, came from? Who organised it; who keeps it running?" Jack pressed on quietly. "It's not just a matter of religion, it's a matter of truth."

"Ancient Azorian teachings attributed the creation of our world to Palkia and Dialga. Though most people found said teachings to be rather lacking. They may be powerful, but they are only Pokémon. I could see them playing a role in the creation of our world, but fully creating it by themselves. With that said, most Azorians didn't pay too much thought to it."

"Yeah," Jack agreed with a nod of his head. "As someone who's met Arceus, Dialga, and Palkia, I can personally attest to the fact that he did not create the universe from nothingness. That begs the question though, who did?"

"Last I heard, Arceus wasn't… how do I put this… Let's just say the way that I am and the power I have were not done with his approval. That being said, I have met Dialga, Palkia, and Giratina," Lucario replied. "It was the latter two of those three that gave me my abilities to create portals through space."

Jack raised an eyebrow. "Nice subject change…"

Lucario let out a small laugh as he shook his head. "I guess that I did. But as to answer your question, it is not something I have ever thought of. I never saw it as a matter of importance in my life."

Jack nodded understandingly. "I can understand where you're coming from on that. Honestly though, and this is coming from someone who's had a bit of a crisis of faith recently myself, it's a lot more important than you realise. A knowledge of God, of who He is and what He's done, it completely changes the way you look at the world. It changes the way you think about morality, about good and evil, about love… about everything, really."

"To be brutally honest, I doubt you understand where I am coming from," Lucario said with a bit of harshness in his voice. "Most of my life has been nothing but suffering at the hands of humans."

"Trust me," Jack replied with a sigh. "I know all too well. I've never been through anything like that myself, but I had… have a friend who was abused by humans all her life until I met her. Every day, for almost as long as she could remember, she'd be beaten half to death and then confined to a Pokéball until she was well enough to undergo the same treatment again. When I found her, I had to wash the blood out of her fur. Her back was a mat of scar tissue. At first, she would flinch every time I got close to her as if she expected to be hit. So yes, I know exactly where you're coming from. From her, I also know exactly how powerful the gospel can be. I could tell you the story, if you want."

Lucario was silent for a few seconds before he spoke. "Maybe later, right now… I just need some time right now… As I am sure you can image, I have been through alot…" With that said, Lucario ducked into a hole in the side of the mountain leaving Jack and Nova standing outside with an unconscious Damocles.

Jack glanced over at Nova apologetically. "Was I too… aggressive? Persistent? I don't know which word to use."

"No… I would just say it probably was not good timing," Nova replied in a quiet voice. "I honestly didn't know what either of you were talking about. I'm only half Azorian while both of his parents were. I wasn't taught all the things he was, nor did I have any lasting interactions with humans."

Jack nodded. "I see. Yeah, I guess he probably isn't up for deep theological discussion so soon after… all of this."

" _I just hope he'll think about it,"_ Jack thought to himself. " _Maybe I'll get another chance."_

For some reason he couldn't quite put his finger on, he was dead set on sharing his faith with Nova and Lucario. Maybe it was because he felt a certain protectiveness for the Zoroark, almost like a big brother. And as for Lucario, like he'd said, Jack knew how Lucario felt all too well. In truth, he'd felt that way before as well; although quite as acutely. Lucario was struggling with the guilt of what he did under Alpha's control, just as Jack had once struggled with the guilt of killing a Greninja so long ago.

Jack knew for a fact that for someone like that, God's promise of forgiveness was a comfort like no other. He just prayed that he could bring Nova and Lucario into that promise; that the Holy Spirit would use him to work God's will. For now though, that would have to wait. Lucario was in no mood to have his entire concept of right and wrong shaken to the core. Besides, now that he was alone with Nova there were a few questions Jack was dying to ask.

"Speaking of which," he continued, "How did you manage to free Lucario anyway? I'm pretty sure I was unconscious for that part. Not that I doubted you for a second, but three on one doesn't seem like good odds."

Nova tiled her head to the side as one of her ears fell over. "But… You were the one who freed him… Granted, you didn't really seem like you, but I can tell you that you were not unconscious," Nova replied, looking thoroughly confused.

Jack furrowed his brow in equal confusion. "Well, the last thing I remember was that Serperior about to stab me in the chest, then everything went black. After that the next thing I remember is Lucario protecting us."

"Well… you kind of disappeared for a bit. Then you reappeared with black hair and a... different, voice," Nova said as she thought back to the way Jack behaved in the latter portions of the fight.

Jack absorbed this information with a look of complete incomprehension. "Black hair? A different voice? Wha… That doesn't make any sense."

"You're telling me…" Nova said before pausing for a brief moment. "Still, you did some weird shadowy thing and pulled most of the device off of his head. Speaking of which, we should probably get the rest of it off of him…"

"Wait wait wait, hold on," Jack protested, holding up his hands. "Go back to the part about me doing some weird shadowy thing, because that's not something I can do. At least, I don't think so… What else did I do?"

"Umm, well, your sword was golden as well…" Nova replied as she tried to think if there was anything else.

"So I was still using my sword," Jack muttered. "And you say I helped you take down the hybrids, and then rescue Lucario?"

"Yeah… you kind of stabbed one of them through the chest," Nova responded.

Jack's face went pale. "I did what…?"

"Well the Charizard was about to unleash this massive Flamethrower at me when you suddenly appeared behind him and stabbed him through the chest. After that you engaged Lucario and the two of us managed to get the device off of his head," Nova explained in greater detail.

Jack was, understandably, a little shaken by this. He couldn't help but remember in gruesome detail the night he killed Greninja. Was history repeating itself?

" _Not again…"_ he pleaded. " _Please, not again."_

"Th-the Charizard," Jack stammered slightly, "Was he… alright?"

"Well… he was out for the count… he wasn't bleeding or anything. I thought I saw his back slowing rising and falling afterwards," Nova replied.

Jack let out a deep sigh of relief. Without realizing it, he'd been holding his breath. "Oh, okay. Good. That's a relief at least."

Nova let out a small chuckle as she shook her head, her mane swaying behind her. "You are far too kind hearted for your own good."

Jack grinned, but it didn't reach his eyes. "Yeah, I've been told that before. I only wish it was true."

"Anyways, I am going to help Lucario with the rest of that device. You mind staying out here and watching over Damocles? You'll find the sunsets here are quite amazing," Nova said before she too ducked inside the small hole in the mountain.

Jack watched her leave, then glanced at the still unconscious hybrid on the ground in front of him. With a shrug of resignation, Jack sat down next to Damocles and stared up at the sky. The setting sun painting it a brilliant blaze of reds and oranges. Nova was right, it really was beautiful.

Jack sighed, and glanced down at Damocles again. "Well, I guess we're both in for the third wheel treatment from now on. I guess we'd better get used to it, shouldn't we."

Damocles didn't respond, for obvious reasons, and Jack went back to staring at the sunset. He didn't mind being left alone, to be honest. It gave him time to think about everything that had happened, and what he would do next. Maybe his near-death experience had forced him to come to grips with the situation, or maybe he was still in shock, but Jack found himself surprisingly calm.

The guilt and self loathing he'd felt, as well as the all-consuming anger with which he'd smothered them, were almost completely gone. He was still sad, and a little afraid for his team, but it wasn't clouding his judgement any more. For possibly the first time since his team had been stolen from him, Jack could think clearly and rationally about what the best course of action was.

" _My friends aren't here,"_ he thought to himself, stating the obvious. " _And I have only the vaguest idea where they could be. J took them, and she could be pretty much anywhere by now… so how do I find her?"_

Jack had no answer to that question but he had a strange, calm confidence that he would find a way. After all, like he'd just told Lucario, there was someone in control. Nothing ever happened except according to God's will. Not just any god either, but a kind God who cared deeply for his children and protected them. Jack had no doubt that wherever his friends were, God was watching over them and would keep them safe. The thought almost brought tears of joy to Jack's eyes.

Jack might have actually started crying, but then he was snapped out of his reverie by Damocles. With a groan of pain, the hybrid blinked a few times. Once his eyes had adjusted to the light, Damocles glanced over at Jack.

"Welcome back, sleeping beauty," Jack commented wryly. "Did you have a good nap? You missed all the good parts."

"You taunt me, boy…" Damocles muttered as he slowly sat up. "Based on the fact that you have it in you to joke as such, I assume that means that we were successful?"

Jack nodded, grinning ruefully. "Yeah. And just so you know, don't take me too seriously. I'll be honest, at this point my joking around is more of a coping mechanism than anything else."

"Ah… so not everything was accomplished then…" Damocles responded as he looked around. He spotted the metallic pack that Jack had been seeking, yet at the same time he could sense the powerful presence of Lucario, leaving him to wonder what exactly had gone wrong.

Jack sighed. "If you're wondering, Lucario's rescue went without a hitch. We even destroyed the Alpha base completely. Well… actually Lucario did that. I was only half-conscious for that part."

"That is good news. Without their higher leadership, the rest of Alpha should crumble rather quickly," Damocles mused.

"I certainly hope so," Jack agreed. "The more I heard of this war and how it's affecting everyone in this region, the more I wanted it to end. Now, it should take to long before it's all over. We just need to get word back to General Ford."

"Yes… I suppose that you do…" Damocles said in a quiet tone, pondering what exactly he was going to do next. "If you do not mind me asking, do you know of what, if anything, the two Azorians plan on doing with me?"

"Nothing too harsh if I have anything to say about it," Jack assured him. "And I do, and I did. I've already given Lucario my opinion on vigilante justice, so I really doubt he'll do anything drastic. That said, what do you plan on doing?"

"Spending a long time in a cell if I have any say in the matter," Lucario said as he emerged from the mountainside cave, glaring daggers at the hybrid. Nova emerged behind him, though she chose to remain silent.

Jack glanced from Damocles to Lucario and back again, then shrugged. "Honestly, that does seem only fair. Then again, as I've said, I don't think that's really our call. If anything, I think we should talk to General Ford first and tell him what happened."

"Trust me, I am sure the general will be happy to oblige me in my request," Lucario continued as he came to a stop a few yards from Damocles. "Part of me would just absolutely love to execute you here and now for all the lives you have ruined, but you don't deserve it. I would rather see you have to live with what you have done."

"I suppose that you are correct…" Damocles said in a low voice as he looked at the ground. "At this point, I think that death would be a welcome escape from my miserable existence."

Jack sighed, and looked Damocles in the eyes. "Look Damocles, I haven't known you that long. I don't know what you've done in the service of Alpha, so I'm not the best person to decide your punishment. I know that much. I also know that guilt is a nasty thing, and it'll eat you alive from the inside out if you let it. I'll tell you one thing: no matter what you've done, no matter how many people you've wronged, even killed, nothing is beyond forgiveness. If you really repent, seek forgiveness, and turn your back on your old sinful ways, it is never hopeless."

"You truly don't have any idea what I have done, do you?" Damocles asked, a bit surprised at everything Jack had said.

Jack shook his head. "Only what I've heard. Aside from that, I can only imagine. As such I'm not really the one who had to forgive you. But there is someone who knows full well what you've done, and I think she's already started to forgive you. Or am I mistaken, Nova?"

"Started… that sounds about right…" Nova said in a calm voice. "To say that I have completely forgiven him wouldn't be accurate, but I have come to realized that he is at least trying to do what is right."

Lucario sighed as he crossed his arms and closed his eyes. "Based on what I have heard, I suppose that I should at least thank you for helping save me," he started in a rather cross voice before opening his eyes again. "Perhaps you do deserve a second chance."

Jack smiled reassuringly at Damocles. "See, it's not so hopeless. You're a long way from innocent, true, but no better time than the present to start turning your life around. And I do believe it's possible. Not that I think you should go without atoning for everything you've done, but that's in God's hands alone."

"Heh, never in my life would I have thought I would get a religious lecture about turning my life around," Damocles said with a small laugh.

Jack shrugged. "Never in my life did I think I'd give one."

"Still… I will agree to turn myself over when we reach Fort Aaron," Damocles stated as he stood up and stretched out some, his body still being incredibly sore and not fully healed. That was when he noticed that something was missing. "If I may inquire… what happened to my sword and shield?"

"They were broken into pieces last I saw them. I didn't grab them when I, umm, carried you out," Nova replied.

"I see… perhaps that is for the best," Damocles muttered as he closed his eyes and took in a deep breath of air.

There was a moment of silence, then Jack sighed and addressed Lucario. "So. Assuming you're going to be taking over as leader of our merry band, what do you plan on doing now? In other words, how long are we going to stay here before heading out, presumably in the general direction of Fort Aaron?"

"A day at most, give us all some time to recover from the fight," Lucario started as he looked at the setting sun as it painted both the sky and the ocean in its brilliant colors. "And how quickly you forget."

"Oh, right," Jack muttered, facepalming. "Well you can't exactly blame me, I only met you about an hour ago. And most of that time I've either been half-conscious, or in considerable pain. The finer details tend to elude my recollection."

"I think that suddenly traveling hundreds of miles via a spatial portal would stick with you," Nova teased, elbowing Jack in the side.

"Actually..." Jack replied with a impish grin, "That's about the usual for me."

"Right…" Nova sighed, "You can teleport…"

"You see?" Jack shot back wryly. "It's an easy thing to forget."

"So it is…" Nova muttered, accepting that Jack had bested her this time. She made a mental note to get him back at some point later on. "Anyways… I don't know about you three, but I am ready to crash for the night…"

"I second that motion," Jack commented. "If you need me, I'll probably be in a tree. That is, after I get my backpack which I'm pretty sure I left in a snowbank somewhere…"

"You are more than welcome to stay with us in our cave, which I would recommend as it is going to rain tonight," Lucario offered.

"Oh no," Jack replied, shaking his head; his grin having spread into something that could only be described as mischievous. "I wouldn't think of imposing. You two deserve one night at least. Besides," he added, "A little rain doesn't bother me. Well, have fun."

Just like that, Jack vanished with a rush of displaced air. No doubt, wherever he'd gone, he was laughing his head off.

"Oh, I am so going to get him back for that," Nova muttered, shaking her head.

* * *

Jack popped back into existence only a few hundred feet from where he'd started, having already returned to the small alcove near the former alpha base to retrieve his bag. Just like on his trip there, he had to take a moment to regain his balance afterwards. Even something as simple as teleporting was pushing the limits of his endurance at this point. He'd need at least one good night's sleep before he trusted himself to do anything much more strenuous.

Jack clambered up a convenient nearby tree and was about to crash for the night, but then he noticed Damocles walking in his general direction. What's more, he noticed that the Hybrid wasn't moving very quickly.

Concerned, and somewhat curious, Jack hopped down from his tree and went to meet Damocles halfway. Damocles glanced over at the human has he approached, not sure what to expect from the human this time. At this point, he was simply too exhausted and tired to think.

Jack didn't say a word, he knew exactly what was going on. Damocles had been beaten to a pulp barely two hours ago, and the limited healing he'd received clearly was enough. Like Jack himself, the hybrid need rest and lots of it. Knowing that at the moment he was the stronger of the two of them, Jack walked up to Damocles and put one arm around the hybrid's back to support him.

"You…" Damocles started but trailed off before slowly shaking his head. "Why…?"

Jack gave him a small, kind smile. "You're hurt, and I'm a healer. Do I need a reason to do the right thing?"

Damocles was silent for a few seconds. "Not the first time you have said that to me… I am just not used to such acts of… kindness."

Jack nodded. "Yeah, I figured as much. All the more reason for me to do so now. Anyway, let's get you somewhere you can rest. You look about fit to fall down. Just lean on me as much as you can, okay?"

"Very well…" Damocles muttered, still not entirely comfortable relying on someone like this. It didn't take too long before the two of them reached a secluded point away from the others. Damocles sat down against a tree and leaned his head back.

Jack looked pensively up at the darkening sky, and at the clouds which were beginning to roll in.

"It really does look like rain…" Jack said thoughtfully. The rain wouldn't bother him in the slightest, but Damocles...

"From what I gathered with my time at Alpha, Lucario was hybridized with an Absol. Might explain why he has been so keen at foreseeing certain events," Damocles said.

Jack shrugged. "Maybe. At any rate, the question at hand is how to avoid getting soaked. Fortunately, I have an idea."

"At this point… I am too tired to do much of anything, so I'm all ears," Damocles replied in a low voice.

Jack nodded. "Don't worry, I can do all the grunt work. It shouldn't take long either, if all goes according to plan."

"Very well, I will leave you to your plan," Damocles said as he closed his eyes.

To be honest, Jack had little to no idea what he was going to do. However, he was confident in his ability to improvise. After all, he still remembered building little forts in the woods when he was younger. Then again he'd had twine and other things to work with then…

Then again, it wasn't like he had no tools. In fact, this was as good a time as any to test out his latest trick. He wanted to make sure he could control it first, before he used it in a real fight again.

Jack walked around for a few minutes, surveying the immediate area. It was a lightly forested area, and the trees were primarily pine and other evergreens.

" _What I have to ask myself,"_ Jack thought, " _Is 'if I knew what I was doing, what would I do?'"_

That train of thought, to the surprise of no one, didn't result in any monumental revelations. It did, however, at least get him moving. With surprising ease, Jack summoned the glowing golden blade of energy he'd used during his fight in the Alpha base. He was forced to release the technique almost immediately however, as the sword quickly started sapping his strength at an alarming rate.

"Well," Jack mumbled to no one in particular, breathing heavily, "I guess I won't be using that again any time soon..."

After taking a moment to catch his breath, Jack took another glance up at the sky. It was getting darker, and not just because the sun had all but set. The sky was a mass of rainclouds, and it wouldn't be long before they let loose. If Jack wanted to build any kind of shelter for Damocles, he'd have to do it quickly.

Spurred on by the time limit, Jack wasted no more time in getting to work. He settled for simply using brute strength, which actually took up less energy than anything else, to break as many branches as he could off of the nearby trees. Pine needles, if he remembered correctly, were covered in a waxy substance that he hoped would make them water repellent. All he had to do was stack them up in a tent shape… Jack just hoped Damocles didn't mind sleeping on pine needles.

Now that he'd decided what he was going to do, it didn't take Jack long to finish his project. The end result was a cozy little shelter made from overlapping pine branches that didn't look altogether uncomfortable. Plus, unless you looked at it from a certain angle, it looked like just a random pile of fallen foliage. It helped that Jack had constructed it up against a tree, and there was a few bushes around it as well to add to the illusion. Or at least, Jack hoped they did.

With a satisfied grin, Jack returned to where he'd left Damocles. Despite feeling like he was about to fall over, Jack actually felt quite content with his work. Maybe Nova was right, maybe he was too nice for his own good.

"Alright," Jack said, walking over to Damocles who was still sitting against a tree trunk. "It's all set up. Want to come take a look?"

"At this point, I am fine with whatever you have managed," Damocles replied as he forced himself to his feet.

"That's good," Jack stated, holding out his hand to the hybrid. "Because I'll be honest, it's not much. Still, it should keep the rain off you."

"That will be more than enough," Damocles responded as he followed Jack.

Jack led Damocles to the impromptu shelter. It was only about twenty or so feet away, but Jack still offered an arm to help Damocles along. By the time they reached the shelter, Jack could feel droplets of water hitting his face from above. It wouldn't be long before the downpour started.

"Well," Jack said as they reached their destination, "Here it is. Hopefully it's more waterproof than it looks."

"This will be sufficient for the night," Damocles muttered as he entered Jack's creation and quickly lay down on the makeshift bed.

Jack nodded. "I'm glad you like it. Well, good night then. Sleep tight. If you need me, I'll probably be up a tree somewhere nearby."

Jack turned around and walked back to the clearing to retrieve his bag, leaving Damocles to get some rest. Hopefully the hybrid would feel better after a good night's sleep.

* * *

Jack woke up soaking wet. That wasn't surprising, true to his word he'd spent the night in a nearby pine tree. To be honest, Jack felt pretty miserable just then. His robes may not have been soaked, but his skin was. The damp had covered his entire body with goosebumps. He just hoped his makeshift shelter was slightly more effective at keeping the water off.

He'd left his Bible in his bag, and he'd kept that tightly closed, last night for fear of it getting wet. A fear that proved to be warranted, as the rain started in earnest almost as soon as Jack had settled down for the night.

Jack groaned in discomfort as he dropped to the ground, his entire body protesting that, no, it didn't want to move thank you very much. Jack shook the water from his hair, and then glanced up at the sky. The forest was painted an eerie, flat hue in the grey light of predawn. The lack of shadows threw off Jack's depth perception slightly, but he quickly adjusted to it.

After taking a moment to look in on Damocles, who was still sleeping peacefully in the shelter, Jack grabbed his bag and walked off into the woods. He'd spotted a small lake yesterday while he was wandering around, and at the moment he felt a quick bath would do him a world of good. He just hoped no forest Pokémon had the same idea. That might be awkward.

After shaking the water droplets off his robes and folding them up, Jack walked into the lake up to his neck and floated for a while. He could sense no Pokémon in the immediate vicinity, at least none that were awake, so he took his time and relaxed. The water was cold, which wasn't a huge surprise, but the briskness made it all the more refreshing. Jack had never been much of a morning person, but the cold water shocked him wide awake in moments.

Jack continued floating in the lake for a while, until the first rays of proper sunlight began to illuminate the woods. At that point Jack got out, dried himself off with a quick burst of flames, and got dressed. He then headed back to his impromptu campsite, confirmed that Damocles was still asleep and likely would be for quite some time yet, and climbed back into his tree to read his Bible for a while.

He read for almost an hour, then he realized that he hadn't eaten anything since yesterday afternoon. His stomach did not appreciate his absentmindedness in the slightest, and demanded something to eat; pronto. Due to a depressing lack of wild animals in the immediate vicinity, Jack was forced to settle for a handful of berries and a couple edible roots. Fortunately, after his bath Jack was feeling surprisingly rejuvenated and chipper considering all that had happened only yesterday. His aura pool was still low, but it was no longer near dangerous levels.

" _A good meal would help with that,"_ Jack thought ruefully to himself as he munched on a freshly cleaned root. " _But I guess that'll have to wait for a while."_

After he'd finished his meager meal, Jack went back to his tree and continued reading. He read for the rest of the morning, and was halfway through the first chapter of the book of Ruth when he sensed a powerful aura signature, Lucario's, moving towards him. Evidently Nova and Lucario had finally woken up, and were coming out of their cave. Jack looked up at the sun, which was almost directly overhead, and sighed figuring he might as well get on with his day.

With satisfying ease, Jack teleported noiselessly behind the two Pokémon just in time to hear Nova mutter, "I guess we really slept in…"

"So, you two are finally awake are you?" Jack commented wryly, at which Nova and Lucario turned around sharply. "There's no end of wisecracks I could make at this point, but I'll try to restrain myself."

"Given everything that happened yesterday, I think we deserved some rest," Nova countered with a smirk of her own.

"How was sleeping in the rain?" Lucario asked, a small, sly smile on his muzzle. He had immediately noticed upon exiting the cave that the ground was still damp from the night's storm.

Jack's smile took on a smug slant. "Actually, Damocles and I made ourselves a little shelter. Or rather, I made the shelter and Damocles slept in it. My robes are water repellent, so I was just fine."

"Well… that was nice of you…" Lucario muttered, his disdain for the hybrid still quite audible in his voice.

"So where is he?" Nova inquired as she looked around for said shelter.

"He's still sleeping," Jack replied. "Not surprising, considering he got beat to within an inch of his life yesterday. The shelter is over that way, but it's pretty well camouflaged. I'll be honest," he commented, his grin widening slightly, "I had way too much fun making it."

"I can tell, you are radiating happiness about it," Nova said as she looked in the direction Jack had indicated. Closing her eyes, she was easily able to lock onto Damocles' aura signature. "If I didn't have aura vision, it probably would have been hard to find."

"Okay, that's just straight up cheating," Jack deadpanned.

"I was simply, using my natural abilities," Nova countered with a smirk, at which Lucario let out a huff of air.

"Right… natural…" Lucario said with his own sly smile.

"Anyway," Jack continued, "I think it'd be best to let him rest. You didn't see, but he was in a pretty bad way last night. He almost collapsed from exhaustion at one point, which is why I made the shelter for him in the first place. He needs all the sleep he can get."

"Very well…" Lucario replied in a slightly displeased tone before he turned his head to the north and looked up in the sky. "Well, we have some company coming."

Jack raised an eyebrow quizzically. "Really? What kind of company exactly?"

"The nice kind," Nova replied as she reached out with her aura and saw who was approaching. "Some old friends."

Jack closed his eyes and cast out a wide range mental probe. He could sense two Pokémon, a male Pidgeot and female Staravia, making a beeline for them. Jack wondered briefly how the two Pokémon knew where to find them, but he quickly dismissed it as something that would probably be explained in the next ten minutes or so.

"Well then," the boy commented. "If they're old friends of yours, I'm certainly interested to meet them."

A few moments later, two avian Pokémon landed next to the trio. True to Jack's senses, a Pidgeot and Staravia.

"Matthew, Sarah, this is an unexpected surprise," Lucario said as he took a few steps towards the two avians. "How did you know that we were here?"

"Lucario, please, the entire forest knows you are here. You radiate an insane amount of power in case you have forgotten," Matthew replied with a small laugh. "Still, it has been far too long, my friend. How have you been?"

Lucario remained silent as he looked down at the grass below his feet and closed his eyes. "I have not been well…" Lucario responded after a bit. "Something terrible happened to me and hundreds if not thousands of people died because of it…"

The two bird Pokémon were stunned into silence, unsure of what to say after such a dark revelation.

"Thankfully, it is over and in the past now," Nova interjected, putting her paw on Lucario's shoulder. "And when I say over, I believe it is over for good this time."

Lucario smiled faintly, obviously glad to be reunited with Nova. Jack hung back away from the others, not wanting to intrude on what was obviously another happy reunion of old friends. He knew it wasn't really the case, and that Nova would never think that way, but he couldn't shake the feeling of being a third wheel. Now that Nova and Lucario were back together, Alpha was all but finished, and his Pokémon were nowhere to be found, Jack felt like he had no business being here and intruding on Nova and Lucario's lives. It would probably be best if he went back to Sinnoh soon, and started working on tracking down Hunter J.

Jack was so focused on not intruding on the conversation Nova and Lucario were having with the two bird Pokémon, that he almost didn't notice when the Staravia gestured towards him with one of her wings.

"And who is that?" the Staravia, Jack recalled her name was Sarah, asked somewhat pointedly.

Jack grinned slightly, realizing that the two newcomers didn't know that he could understand them. Oh well, he thought. Might as well have a little fun, it might help raise his spirits a little.

"Jack Storm," Jack responded, flashing Sarah the most mischievous smirk he could manage. "Pleasure to make your acquaintance."

The two Pokémon looked in confusion at Jack then at each other then back to Jack.

"Alright… I know I am not too versed in the world outside this forest, but he is a human right? And he understood what Sarah just said," Matthew asked in obvious confusion.

Jack's grin widened until it looked like he was about to break out into laughter. "No, I'm just really good at bluffing. So, Matthew and Sarah, I'm curious. Lucario here said you were old friends of him and Nova, so what's the story there?"

"Right… bluffing…" Matthew muttered, rolling his eyes before continuing. "Well, Lucario and I grew up together before we were… separated for several years. When he came back with Nova, it was quite the shock. The two of them lived here for a while before Nova came to me in the middle of the night one day and told us that the two of them were leaving. That was probably four lunar cycles ago and we never heard from either of you."

"We were quite busy…" Nova replied as she rubbed the back of her head with her claws. "Sorry for worrying you."

Realizing that the conversation had moved on, and that he no longer had a part in it, Jack went back to staring at the sky and generally making a point of not sticking his nose in where he didn't think it belonged. He couldn't help but take notice, however, when the tone of the conversation changed.

"Sadly, we don't have too much time to spare here…" Matthew stated. "There are somethings that need to be tended to."

"Has anything gone wrong?" Lucario inquired.

"No, its nothing serious. Some visiting Pokémon have been telling far fetched stories about weird humans with futuristic machines. We have already investigated it and found nothing," Matthew replied, waving his wing dismissively. "Still… if you want to check it out, I can show you the general area the Pokémon came from."

"I would appreciate that more than you know," Lucario said.

"Actually," Jack piped up, seeing with no small amount of relief that he was needed once again, "It just so happens that I have a map of the entire region. Would that be of any help?"

"That would help and save us some time," Matthew replied as he moved over to where Jack was. Lucario followed him over and looked over his other shoulder.

"Alrighty then," Jack said, holding up his right hand. Casting out his mind to the makeshift campsite, where Damocles was still sleeping soundly, Jack quickly locked onto the map in his bag and teleported it. The roll of parchment appeared in his hand with an electrical crackle, earning an astonished stare from the Pidgeot.

"So," Jack continued, sitting down cross-legged on the ground and deftly unrolling the map across his lap, "Where exactly is the point of interest."

The Pidgeot, Matthew, stared at Jack in utter disbelief for a second before shaking his head. Seemingly deciding not to think about it too hard, a state with which Jack was well familiar, Matthew studied the map for a second trying to get his bearings straight. After a moment, he found what he was looking for.

"Here," the Pidgeot said, tracing a circle on the map with one of his talons.

"Right," Jack said with a nod, placing his finger on the map. A moment later there was an electrical crackle and the hiss of singed parchment, and when Jack lifted his finger there was a small burn mark right where Matthew had indicated.

"So… what are the other spots on this map?" Lucario asked, having never seen it before.

"The location of every hidden Alpha base," Jack replied. "Or at least, every base Damocles knows about. He gave us the locations as a kind of… a show of good faith, I guess."

"Interesting…" Lucario muttered as he looked over the map. "That information could do the Saldaran military a lot of good in finishing off Alpha while they are crippled from the loss of their leadership."

Jack nodded, grinning impishly. "That's what we figured, so I'm going to show this to General Ford once we get back to Fort Aaron. I can't wait to see the look on his face…"

"That combined with the 'other' gift we have for him will do more to ending this war once and for all. We can also have them investigate this other site and see if there is anything there," Lucario stated. "We should probably get this information to General Ford as soon as possible."

"I think that all three of us could sneak in under my illusion and give General Ford the map. We can tell him that Damocles intends to turn himself in," Nova suggested.

"It… would probably be for the best that I remain out of sight…" Lucario mumbled as he looked down at the ground.

"No, you are coming with us," Nova said in a firm tone. "I think it will do Ford some good to see that you are back to normal."

"Back to normal? What exactly happened while you were gone?" Sarah asked, as she looked at Lucario.

"It's not something I want to talk about…" Lucario replied as he got up and walked towards a nearby tree. He closed his eyes as he raised his paw and rested it against the bark.

"Ar-" Sarah started before Matthew silenced her.

"Sarah, don't push it," Matthew warned, before turning to Lucario and Nova, who had gone over to comfort her mate. "When will you be leaving?"

"Soon," Lucario replied as he looked back at his old friend. "Nor do I know when the two of us will be back. I don't think this will take us too long, but something unexpected might pop up."

"Alright. Stay safe, my friend," Matthew said as he took to the skies, Sarah following behind him.

Jack watched them go with something approaching envy. Those two avians obviously knew more about Nova and Lucario than Jack ever would. Once again, Jack was struck with a heart wrenching feeling that he didn't belong here, that he was an intruder in a story that didn't need him any more. It was time to leave.

"So…" Lucario started, sitting down opposite Jack. "What happens after we finish this task?"

Jack sighed and crossed his legs in front of him. "Well, my work here is pretty much done. The war's all but finished at this point. Once we get this map to Ford, he won't waste any time in routing what's left of Alpha. And I helped Nova rescue you, which is good. So after this, I'll be heading back to Sinnoh."

"Are you going to try to find and rescue your friends?" Nova inquired, remembering the primary reason Jack had come to Saldara in the first place.

Jack could feel his emotions threatening to flare up out of control, and he struggled to force them back to normal levels. It wouldn't do to lose his composure at this point, it'd just make it harder for him to say goodbye.

"No," Jack said softly, once he trusted himself to do so. "I won't try. I will find them, and I will rescue them. Or else I'll die trying."

Nova and Lucario were both silent for a few seconds as the wind blew down the mountain, the only sound being the rustling of the leaves. Jack knew he'd made a mistake, what was he thinking talking like that? Where was his cocky confidence, his naive assurance that everything would be alright? He didn't want to make Nova worry about him…

Lucario broke the silence, turning to face Jack. "From what I have gathered, I owe you a great debt for rescuing me from Alpha," Lucario started in a humble tone. "Perhaps Nova and I could repay that debt to you by helping you find your friends?"


	30. Debriefing

"What?" Jack asked, not quite believing his ears.

"Perhaps we can help you get your friends back," Nova replied, repeating what Lucario had said. "You have done more than I could ever thank you for, so this seems like a good way to show our thanks."

"But…" Jack protested after a moment, "Aren't you still needed here? Alpha isn't defeated quite yet, and then there's whatever your friend Matthew was talking about… And I have no idea how long it'll take to find my friends. Maybe it's already too late, I have no way of knowing. Can you really afford to drop everything just to help me out?"

"For a friend like you, I certainly can," Nova responded in a calm, friendly voice. "Seriously, I cannot thank you enough for helping me."

"Azorian tradition says that I am in your debt for your role in saving me, so I am obliged to assist you," Lucario added on in a formal tone.

Jack was silent for a moment, then he looked down at the ground. "I'm touched, really I am. I really appreciate the offer. Even so, I can't help but feel like it's a bad idea for you two to leave the region at a time like this…"

Lucario was silent for a few seconds as he thought about what Jack had said. "I am confident in the Saldaran military to take care of things from here on out."

Jack sighed. "Well, I guess there is that. If both of you are determined to come, then… to be honest, I would be glad for the help."

"Then it is settled, we will go with you once we turn over everything over to General Ford," Nova said happily.

"Alright, fine," Jack conceded. "But in that case, when are we planning on hopping through a rift in space-time to Fort Aaron anyway? Because right now, I think the best course of action would be to hunt down some lunch."

At the mention of food, both Lucario and Nova realized how hungry they were, having not eaten anything in quite a while.

"Finding some food does sound like a good idea…" Lucario muttered as he started walking to a nearby berry bush.

"Agreed," Nova said as she also started looking for some nearby food.

"You know," Jack deadpanned, "I'm surprised I didn't think of this earlier, but… couldn't we just pop down to the ocean and catch a few fish?"

"That is actually a really nice idea. I haven't had fish in a long time…" Nova replied, suddenly craving fish.

"She isn't going to accept anything less than fish now," Lucario said with a small laugh. "If we fail to deliver on that, she will hunt us down."

"And eat me instead no doubt," Jack shot back with a smirk. "Don't worry, I'm sure that between the three of us we'll be able to find something."

"Well then, let us depart," Lucario continued as a long purple blade grew out of his right wrist spike. He slashed through the air and, with a thunderous crack, a portal of swirling purple energy appeared.

"Race you there!" Jack exclaimed with an impish grin, before disappearing with a crackle of electricity.

Jack popped back into existence on a sandy stretch of coastline that extended for as far as the eye could see in either direction. He spotted Lucario's portal out of the corner of his eye, and immediately started feigning boredom as if he'd been waiting for hours. After all, what good was getting there first if he couldn't heckle them about it?

"I could make a snarky comment," Jack said with a smug grin as Nova and Lucario stepped out of the portal, "But it'd just be way too easy."

"Right…" Nova replied, rolling her eyes as she made her way over to where the ocean met the sands of the beach. She smiled when she felt the cool water wash over her hind paws. "New race to see who can catch the first fish?"

Jack shrugged. "I get the feeling it's not a fair match, but sure."

Jack walked down into the water and closed his eyes, casting his mind out into the water in search of fish. He could feel Nova doing the same, although Lucario seemed to be hanging back for the time being. Obviously the hybrid Aura Pokémon knew his mate well enough that he wasn't even going to bother trying to win the fish race.

" _In that case,"_ Jack thought to himself, " _I guess I'll just have to play dirty. But how…?"_

Jack was snapped out of his thoughts by Nova's voice. "Got one!"

Jack turned to Nova in utter disbelief. The blue-furred Zoroark was holding out a ball of water held together by aura. Jack couldn't see inside very well, but it obviously contained Nova's fish.

"Are you kidding me, already?" Jack exclaimed. "I haven't even seen any yet. I think they're avoiding me…"

"If you don't believe me, take a look for yourself," Nova said before tossing the water filled aura sphere towards Jack. As soon as he caught it, it exploded and showered him in seawater, much to Nova's amusement. Even Lucario smirked at the image of Jack, thoroughly surprised and soaking wet.

Jack stood still for a moment, a look of incomprehension on his face. Then he noticed something. There really was a fish swimming around Nova's legs, although she seemed to have let it go in favour of soaking Jack instead. A mischievous grin split Jack's face from ear to ear, and his eyes glowed golden. The game was on.

"So, you want to play that game do you?" he asked.

Without any further warning, Jack flicked his finger and a jet of water shot out of the sea a few feet from Nova and hit her right in the face. Nova recoiled slightly from the slap of water across her snout. She glared at Jack before a smirk made its way across her muzzle.

"You are going to regret doing that," Nova replied as she playfully glared at Jack.

"Actually," Jack shot back with a smirk, "I really don't think I am."

"Ah, but you have forgotten something, something important," Nova continued. "For I have a mate."

At the mention of Lucario, he threw the handful of marble sized aura spheres that he had charged. They landed in a scattered pattern around Jack before exploding and showering Jack in in more of the salty water.

"Nice try," Jack replied. "But I have a few tricks up my sleeves too."

Jack raised his arms, and four snake-like jets of water shot from the sea around him. Two spiraled towards Nova, the other two curved around to attack Lucario from either side. Nova formed two small aura spheres and threw them into the jets of water heading towards her. When they exploded, the water imploded in on itself and fell back to the ocean. Meanwhile, Lucario stood motionless with both of his blades extended. At the last possible second before the jets of water hit him, he slashed the blade upwards creating two portals. The two jets of water raced into the portals and out of two portals that had appeared on either side of Jack, though slightly offset.

A split second before the two returned jets of water hit him, Jack telekinetically shot himself up into the air as if a giant hand had given him a flick. While in midair Jack flipped head over heels once before plummeting back down. Then, just as his feet hit the water, Jack released a blast of aura into it. The water was pushed back away from Jack, leaving him standing on dry ground for a split second before it rushed back in. The disturbance raised a giant wave that towered over Nova and Lucario as it crashed down towards them.

The two Pokémon both reacted simultaneously, raising an aura shield around themselves as the wave raced towards them. When it hit, both of them felt their hind paws dig in against the wet sand underneath the water as the wave of water impacted their shields. Nova smirked she gave the tidal wave a push, sending some of it back where it came from.

Jack saw Nova's counterattack coming, but he feigned surprise as it washed over him up to his neck. There was something in the surge of water that he wanted. When the wave receded he was grinning widely. In his right hand was a fish about the size of his forearm, which he was holding by the tail. It was the one Nova had let go barely two minutes ago.

"Why thank you," Jack commented, mischievous glee dripping from his voice. "I've been trying to catch this guy for several minutes now. I guess this means I won our little wager, isn't that right?"

Nova's expression was priceless. She stood for a few seconds, staring in stunned silence at the fish in Jack's grasp, before letting out a short laugh.

"So it would appear that you have indeed won," Nova replied.

"Very smart, actually," Lucario commented, realizing Jack had more or less played Nova.

Jack whistled in amazement, glancing over at Lucario. "A compliment, from you? Correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm guessing those don't come easily."

"No, they do not," Lucario replied, letting out a small laugh as he took slowly shook his head. "Anyways, we should probably get back and check on… Damocles."

"And cook up all of our one fish?" Jack pointed out. "Tell you what. As the master fishers here how about you two catch us a full meal's worth, and I go check on Damocles?"

"Fair enough," Lucario responded, glad for a reason not to see the hybrid.

"In that case," Jack said, "I will take my leave. Happy hunting. Oh, and here. You can have this one Nova, my treat."

Jack flung the fish he'd caught high into the air, and it landed right in Nova's arms. Then, with one final smirk, Jack disappeared in a crackle of energy.

Nova caught the fish in her paws as it flopped about, desperately trying to get back into the water. She held onto it tightly as she shook her head once again at Jack's antics.

Jack reappeared at his campsite and peered inside the makeshift shelter, where he found Damocles still sleeping soundly. Despite the fact that the hybrid needed as much sleep as he could get after yesterday, missing two meals in a row wouldn't exactly be good for him either.

"Hey," Jack said, "Rise and shine Damocles, it's almost time for lunch."

The hybrid Gallade rolled over, but didn't wake up. Jack sighed and muttered something about doing it the hard way then. With only token hesitation, Jack sent a tiny spark of electricity into Damocles' foot.

The hybrid was jolted from his sleep, sitting up and looking around for what had shocked him only for his eyes to land on Jack.

"Morning…" Damocles muttered as he crawled out of the shelter that Jack had made.

"Looks like you had a good rest," Jack replied. "You feeling any better?"

"That I am," Damocles responded as he started stretching out. His body was still sore but overall he was in much better shape.

Jack nodded. "That's good. Nova and Lucario are catching some fish for lunch, then I think we're going to head back to Fort Aaron."

"I see…" Damocles said in a quiet voice as he finished stretching out and turned towards Jack. the hybrid's stomach rumbled, and he suddenly realized just how hungry he was.

"Yeah," Jack commented wryly. "I kinda figured that'd happen, considering you missed breakfast. Then again, so did the others."

"Well, thank you for coming and getting me," Damocles replied, nodding his head in appreciation.

"No problem," Jack replied. "It's the least I can do."

"I guess we better get going then," Damocles stated before looking around and trying to remember which way it was to Lucario's den.

Jack was silent for a moment, unsure of whether or not he should even ask. He didn't want to press the issue too hard. Then again, he also couldn't just let it drop; for Damocles' sake.

"Damocles…" Jack asked hesitantly, "Have you thought at all about what I said yesterday?"

"You will have to forgive me if I haven't. There hasn't been a lot of time for me to think about it. However… perhaps with everything that is happening, it will be good for me to look into it," Damocles responded.

Jack nodded again. "That's all I can really ask. Thanks for, you know, actually listening. Honestly I wasn't sure if you would. I'm still not sure if Lucario did, or will."

"He is a hundred times the Pokémon I will ever be. If I am considering it, I can only assume your words will eventually make it through to him. It might take some time though, reading through the information that Alpha had on him… let's just say his dislike of humans is well founded," Damocles theorized.

"Yeah," Jack replied solemnly. "I can only imagine what he went through."

"If you want my advice on the matter, have your Pokémon approach him with the subject," Damocles suggested as he looked over at Jack.

Jack's expression darkened as a wave of painful memories momentarily flooded his mind. "Yeah, I already thought of that. There's only one problem..."

"I know…." Damocles said, berating himself for bringing up Jack's missing Pokémon. "I am sure you will get them back."

Jack took a deep breath, forced his doubts to the back of his mind, and managed to crack a smile. "Yeah, of course I will. Thanks. Anyway, Nova and Lucario are going to start eating without us if we don't get back there."

"Yeah, we should get back," Damocles agreed.

"Fortunately," Jack continued with a smirk, "I know a shortcut."

Jack reached out with one hand and lightly tapped Damocles on the shoulder. A split second later, the two of them were standing outside Lucario's den. Nova and Lucario were there waiting for them, and it looked as though they had caught a few more large fish; which were gutted, cleaned, cut into strips, and ready to be eaten.

"Looks like a meal fit for a king," Jack remarked, licking his lips. "Then again, maybe I'm just hungry."

"I believe we all are," Damocles said as he looked at the food, his body still rather weak.

"Well, it is ready for eating at this point for most of us," Nova replied, "One of us here likes to ruin it by cooking it."

"Oi," Jack protested in mock-indignation, "I resent that remark."

"I resent your resentment," Nova countered, sticking out her tongue at Jack. "And no, you cannot resent my resentment of your resentment."

Jack grinned impishly. "You said it, not me. Anyway, enough banter. I'm starving!"

"Agreed," Lucario said before taking a bit of the freshly caught fish. Nova did so as well, taking a large and enthusiastic bite out of the aquatic animal. Damocles was taking smaller, slower bites, just being happy for having something to eat.

Jack grabbed one of the fish in one hand and conjured a small flame in the other. He cooked his meal with a look of extreme nonchalance, knowing full well that all three Pokémon were staring at him.

The three of them continued eating while Jack cooked his meal. Nova quickly finished her first piece and was about to start on a second by the time Jack was finished cooking his.

"Actually," Jack asked at one point, when his fish was almost done, "Aren't you used to cooked food Damocles?"

"I guess you could say that I am. Though the cooked food Alpha offered us wasn't the best. It was enough to make sure we had energy to fight and keep going about our business. I could summarize it in one word though, bland," Damocles replied in a quiet voice. "Whenever we were out on missions, we would often rather hunt for our own food."

"So I'm still the only one here who prefers my food cooked. Good to know I'm unique," Jack deadpanned.

"Prefers cooked food, yet was raised by Lucarios," Nova pointed out with a small smile.

Jack shrugged. "My parents always made sure my food was prepared correctly. Maybe, oh I don't know, because they knew human stomachs couldn't handle raw meat very well?"

"Fair enough," Nova replied, shrugging as well before continuing to eat another piece of fish.

Jack just rolled his eyes and, deciding it was probably safe, extinguished his cooking flame and took a bite out of the fish.

"Mmf," he exclaimed in pleasure as he tasted the meat, although he made sure to swallow before speaking. "That's delicious. A few herbs and it really would be a meal fit for a king!"

"Fresh food is quite nice. Nothing against the jerky that Luke provided us, but that stuff was tough," Nova said as she took another large bite.

Jack didn't reply as he was too busy tearing into his fish. He was evidently quite hungry, and it didn't take him long to finish off the meager meal. After the group finished eating, the four of them prepared to leave once again. While they were still a bit sore from the previous day's battle, it was not a major hinderance. It didn't take them long as there was not much to gather. Jack was the only one with any supplies at this point.

"So," Jack commented, slinging his bag over his shoulder. "Shall we get going?"

"I believe we are all ready," Nova said before turning towards Lucario.

He nodded his head before the spike on his right arm glowed and elongated into a sharp blade. Taking in a deep breath, Lucario closed his eyes and focused. A few moments later, the blade started glowing purple as he slashed at the air in front of him, creating a tear in space. The portal appeared with a thunderous crack before Lucario opened his eyes again.

"After you," Lucario stated, gesturing towards everyone else.

Jack shrugged. "Alright then. See you on the other side."

With that, Jack darted forward and quickly jumped through the portal. Once he was through, he saw that they were just outside a forest. A quick mental scan of the area revealed that it was, in fact, only a few miles from Fort Aaron. It wasn't long before Damocles came through the glowing portal as well, then Nova, then Lucario.

"So… any plan from here?" Lucario asked, deciding that Nova and Jack had more experience with the current situation than he did.

"Well," Jack replied, brushing some invisible dirt off his knees, "I would imagine we just walk in the front door. I'm pretty sure they'll recognise us, wouldn't you say?"

"Except for the fact that Ford isn't supposed to be helping us and vice versa," Nova said, remembering their previous discussion with General Ford. "That is why I proposed we sneak in under my illusion. It would probably be best if Damocles waited here though… I don't think sneaking him into the base would send the right message…"

"Then again," Jack countered, "I think it would just be simpler to tell the guards more or less what happened. You and I found Damocles, the three of us walked into Alpha's main base, and we walked out with Lucario who then sucked it into a singularity. I'm pretty sure the two of us made more than enough of an impression last time, so the guards will at least take us seriously. And maybe not shoot us on sight."

"Except there is no guarantee that the same guards will be there," Lucario pointed out. "From what I can sense from here, the base is mostly empty right now."

"A blue Zoroark and a human in blue robes defend the base from two hybrids," Jack deadpanned, "And you think the story hasn't spread like wildfire among the ranks by now?"

"Fine…" Lucario conceded. "I agree that Damocles should wait here though."

Jack thought about it for a moment. "Yeah… actually, you're probably right about that one. Any problem with that plan Damocles?"

"I have no objections," Damocles responded.

"Okay then," Jack continued. "Let's go with that."

"Very well then," Lucario started before turning towards the Saldaran base. "Nova, could you please create an illusion around me at least, make me appear as a normal Lucario till we are with Ford. I think my current appearance might cause some… panic."

"I can do that once we get closer," Nova said, nodding her head before looking at Jack. "Well, let's get going."

Jack nodded back. "Right."

So the three of them started making their way towards the fort, with Jack in the lead. It took them a while to reach the gate of the military base, but it was a nice day out and none of them minded the walk. Before they reached the gates, Nova did as Lucario asked and created an illusion around Lucario, giving him the appearance of a normal Lucario except for his eyes which remained purple. There was a group of about six soldiers at the gate when they arrived. They eyed the trio cautiously before one them took a few steps forward.

"This is a restricted area, I am going to have to ask that you turn around and leave," the soldier said.

"Actually," Jack said, raising his hands above his head in the universal gesture of surrender. "We're here to request an audience with General Ford."

The soldier raised an eyebrow at the group in front of him waiting a few seconds before answering. "That is not how it works… You cannot just walk up here and ask to speak with the general, I am sorry."

" _Actually, we have met with General Ford several times before,_ " Nova stated, taking a few steps forward. By now, two other soldiers had walked over and were examining the them. One of them looked a Nova for a bit before recognizing her.

"Wait… You're that Zoroark that was here a few weeks ago. The one that also was helping Ford before the war started," he said.

" _That would be me,"_ Nova replied with a smile. " _Could you at least tell General Ford that Nova and Jack are here to see him?"_

"Of course," the soldier replied, leaving the other soldier who had first stopped them in the dark. A few minutes later, the trio was allowed into the base with a few soldiers escorting them to General Ford's office. Looking around, Jack noticed that the damage to the base had been repaired.

"Well, the superhuman returns," General Ford said as they entered his office, looking over the three of them before dismissing the guards that escorted them. His eyes landing on Lucario as he inspected him, immediately noticing his purple eyes

."Yes," Jack replied. "And we're here to report that we destroyed Alpha's main base, took down all of their hybrids except one, and freed a certain mutual acquaintance from their control."

General Ford raised an eyebrow at the list of supposed accomplishments as he stood up from behind his desk and walked around in front of it. "I am going to guess that said mutual acquaintance is Lucario, who I am also guessing is right in front of me."

" _You would be correct, general,_ " Lucario responded, looking into Ford's eyes. " _I cannot even begin to apologize for all the harm I caused…"_ He then closed his eyes and bowed his head down. " _I hope that you can forgive me for all that happened. They used some kind of mind control device on me."_

"You know, I caught a lot of flak when you showed up helping them. A lot of people were calling for my removal for letting an 'Alpha spy' into our ranks. Thankfully, more people had faith in my ability to defend my country. Though that certainly explains a lot… And as for the rest of it," Ford said as he turned towards Jack. "You have any proof of your claims? Not that I don't believe you… but…"

"Well…" Jack replied, reaching behind his shoulder and pulling a roll of canvas out of his bag. "I don't have any on me, but I do have this."

Jack deftly unrolled the map, holding either side of it so Ford could see.

"In case you're wondering," Jack continued, "Those burn marks are all of Alpha's hidden bases. The one with the little star around it is their main base, or the giant hole that used to be their main base. That should be fairly easy to verify, right?"

Ford looked at the map in awe, not quite believing what he was seeing. "These… these are all accurate?"

Jack nodded. "Yep. Remember I told you we took down all but one of Alpha's hybrids? Well, we got these coordinates from the last one. Considering the location of the main base was accurate, I'm confident that all the others are as well."

"You're telling me one of Alpha's own hybrids betrayed them?" Ford asked skeptically.

Jack nodded again, filling his expression and tone with all the certainty he could muster. "Yes, what's more, he personally served as a distraction while Nova and I infiltrated Alpha's main base to rescue Lucario. We trusted him with our lives, and he risked his in return. He's completely turned his back on Alpha, and he's even agreed to turn himself in for his crimes."

"Well… when can I expect to see him?" Ford inquired as he looked over the map.

"I can go get him now if you want," Jack replied, more than a little relieved.

"Hmmm, tempting, but I will pass," Ford said as he started putting the pieces of the puzzle together. "You know, it actually makes some sense. We had been intercepting a large amount of radio traffic over the past week. Heavily encrypted stuff, but we got a few bits that pointed at a major attack. With that knowledge, we pulled our lines back and left dummy units and radio transmitters on some remote controlled vehicles to move them around. However, yesterday, most of the radio chatter disappeared. When they attack came this morning, there were no hybrids and we crushed them and have been counter attacking all day."

Jack nodded. "Yup, that's pretty much what we hoped would happen. Have they been any trouble at all without their hybrids to support them?"

"Only trouble we have had was making sure our units don't outrun our supply lines," Ford said with a short laugh.

" _I would also like to point one thing out to you,"_ Lucario started before pointing to the dot that was inside the Azorian Reserve. " _This is not an actual Alpha base, but some local Pokémon said that they had seen some humans with futuristic technology in that area."_

"Very well, we will check it out as well," Ford replied as he took out a pen and wrote something down on a piece of paper. "Well, it certainly seems like you have done our region a great service, all of you."

" _This region is as much my home as it is yours,"_ Lucario countered.

"That is very true," Ford agreed, nodding his head slowly before turning towards Jack. "So what are your plans now? I would assume that you are heading back to Sinnoh?"

"Yeah," Jack replied, motioning with his head towards the metal box slung over his shoulder along with his bag. "I got what I came here for, mostly, so there's no reason for me to stick around. Besides, I really want to look into getting that paperwork done as soon as possible."

Ford let out a short laugh. "Very well. Though, since you are heading back to Sinnoh, might I press for one last request?"

Jack raised one eyebrow. "I thought you said we weren't allowed to help each other; on record at least."

"Well, technically that is still correct. However, since there aren't many ways out of the region right now, I would be forced to send you out on whatever manner I can," Ford said with a smirk.

Jack nodded, starting to catch on. "I see. In that case, what exactly would you have me do?"

"We have a ship leaving for Sinnoh tonight from Haven," Ford started, pointing at the port city on Saldara's east coast. It is carrying the payment for the supplies we bought from them. A hundred pounds of perfectly cut diamonds and three ancient statues from Sinnoh, one of each of the Creation Trio. We believe that Alpha is going to try and attack the ship. Since you are going to Sinnoh, figured you could go with it to make sure it gets there."

Jack grinned wryly. "Anyone who attacks that ship is going to have a bad time."

"Heh, good to hear," Ford laughed. "I will fill out the paperwork to get you onto the ship."

" _I should point out that Lucario and I are going with him,"_ Nova said.

"Like I said," Jack continued, his grin gaining a mischievous slant. "If anyone attacks that ship..."

"Very well," Ford continued, "Would seem that Razgriz story wasn't all lies after all."

" _Pardon?"_ Lucario asked, slightly confused by Ford's statement.

"Most people were calling you the Demon of Razgriz for the past three months. I don't know if you're famil-"

" _I know the story…"_ Lucario interrupted, " _A demon who rains death upon the land before a period of slumber, then returns a great hero."_

"Ah right… I remember what Nova told me about that…" Ford said as he recalled how the story was supposedly from another dimension.

" _Still… you are right, it is strangely fitting…"_ Lucario responded. " _Even before I was captured by Alpha, I called myself a demon. A demon that the demons of this world would come to fear."_

"An interesting saying," Ford stated as he looked over Lucario. "So what happened to your white fur?"

" _Hidden under an illusion for now, I did not want to panic your men,"_ Lucario replied.

"I see… well at this point, I don't see much more to say at this point unless there is anything any of you want to discuss," Ford stated as he walked back around his desk.

Jack tapped his foot on the ground nervously. "Well, there is still the issue of Damocles. He's the hybrid who helped us."

"That… is unexpected…" Ford responded. "I will take your word on his change of heart though. Have him approach the base slowly by the end of tonight."

Jack nodded. "I will. Thank you sir."

"Very well then, I will arrange transport for you to Haven," Ford continued.

" _That won't be necessary,"_ Lucario said. " _I can get us there in an instant."_

"Alright then, I will be sure that you have permission to be onboard the SRS Silverlake tonight," Ford stated. "You are welcome to wait here or in Haven until then."

" _Thank you,"_ Lucario said, once again bowing his head. " _I think we will wait in Haven."_

"Okay, I will be sure to send our forces there a message. You will find a few familiar faces there," Ford replied with a grin.

" _Familiar faces?"_ Nova inquired, one of her ears tiling to the side.

"Both Eric and Tyler are assigned to the escort as well," Ford explained. "They have both fully recovered from their wounds and have been fighting for the past month."

" _That is good to hear,"_ Nova replied, a happy smile on her muzzle.

"I don't know who they are," Jack remarked with an innocent grin, "But I'm sure I'll find out."

Both Lucario and Nova groaned at Jack's response.

"You don't say…" Nova said in Pokéspeech.

Jack shrugged. "What? I'm merely stating the facts as I see them."

"The painfully obvious facts…" Lucario added on.

"But those are the best ones," Jack protested, grinning mischievously.

"Some of cannot understand Pokémon," Ford pointed out, left out of the current conversation.

" _Sorry, you didn't miss much,"_ Nova said with a sheepish grin. " _Anyways, we should probably get going._ "

"Agreed," Jack replied.

"Alright then, I will send a message to the commander of the naval base we have at Haven. I would suggest you get a message to Damocles sooner than later," Ford stated as he started punching in some numbers on the phone on his desk.

Jack nodded. "Right. I'll go tell him now."

With that, Jack blinked out of existence. He reappeared back where they'd left Damocles, just outside a small forest a few miles from Fort Aaron. Upon landing, Jack immediately glanced around in search of the hybrid. He was currently sitting with his eyes closed against a tree. Upon hearing Jack teleport nearby, he opened his eyes and glanced over at him.

"So, how did it go?" Damocles asked.

"Pretty well," Jack said deadpanned, wiping his brow. "They only tried to kill us a few times."

"Right…" Damocles replied skeptically, thinking that the human might have been exaggerating somewhat.

Jack gave him a sideways glance. "You're no fun. Anyway, all joking aside they were pretty hospitable. Ford saw us almost immediately, and we gave him all the important details of our little adventure."

"And what about me?" Damocles inquired as he stood up and stretched out some. "I imagine that part wasn't the easiest."

Jack shrugged. "Well, that remains to be seen. I told him you'd turned over a new leaf, and I explained how you risked your life to help us infiltrate the base. He said he'd take my word for it, and he agreed to talk with you. I'll be honest, it went better than I expected."

"And how exactly am I supposed to turn myself over?" Damocles pressed on. While he had no certainty that Jack had discussed these details with Ford, he figured that they probably had.

"He just wants you to walk up to the front door," Jack replied. "Nice and slow obviously, so you don't startle the guards. He said he's expecting you there by tonight."

"Seems simple enough…" Damocles muttered. "Very well, it shall be done."

Jack furrowed his brow. "Hey Damocles… if you don't mind me asking, is there any particular reason why you talk like that? It seems kind of… I really don't want to use the word 'archaic'…"

"An interesting, yet unexpected question…" Damocles said as he thought of a proper answer. "I suppose it is just how I was raised. My parents were rather… odd according to most people's standards. Some say it is just how Gallades speak."

Jack blinked. "That... actually makes sense," he said with a straight face.

"It what manner?" Damocles inquired, glancing over at Jack.

"An… old friend of mine, a Gallade, always used to talk like you now that I think of it," Jack replied. "Just… not quite as noticeably. Him and his father both."

"I see. I am sure that if they were friends of yours, then they were both great people," Damocles responded in a respectful tone, catching onto Jack's grim tone.

Jack nodded. "Yeah. I haven't seen them in a long time though. Maybe I'll run into them again some time, who knows. Anyway, I've got to get back. Nova and Lucario are waiting for me."

"Very well," Damocles said, nodding his head, "Farewell to you, Jack Storm."

"Farewell," Jack replied, nodding as well. "And good luck."

With that, Jack once again slipped into a crack in the fabric of reality and was gone. He reappeared with the usual crackle of electricity right outside Fort Aaron, and directly behind Nova and Lucario.

"I'm back," he said, stating the obvious. "Did I miss anything important?"

"Nope, not at all," Nova replied as she looked over at him. "Anything else you want to do while we are here?"

Jack scratched the back of his head thoughtfully. "Nothing comes to mind… Then again I'm not familiar with the area so I don't know what there would be to do."

"Well, we aren't too familiar with it either. Basically only stayed at or around Fort Aaron," Nova started, "I guess we should head off to Haven then."

"If there are no objections," Lucario said as he extended his right blade and it started glowing. In one swift motion, he cut a tear through space and a purple portal appeared in its wake. "After you."

Jack shrugged. "Don't mind if I do."

Jack hopped through the portal followed by Nova and, a few seconds later, Lucario. Jack took a moment to look around at the scenery. Most of Haven seemed to be taken up by docks, stacks of cargo crates and the large cranes used to carry them around, and a few equally blocky warehouses. There were quite a few ships currently in the harbour, most of which were having crates being either loaded on or unloaded from them.

"So this is Haven," Lucario stated as he looked over the city from the hillside they were currently standing on.

"Reminds me a little of Oreburgh City…" Jack commented, looking around curiously.

"Never heard of it," Lucario replied as he glanced over in Jack's direction.

"It's a mining town in Sinnoh," Jack told him. "It looks a lot like this, very square and blocky. Although in Oreburgh it was mostly warehouses."

"I see… well, let's go see if we cannot find the military base that Ford spoke of. I am guessing it is closer to the harbour," Lucario stated.

"You want me to keep up the illusion?" Nova inquired.

"For now, yes. I imagine my reputation right now is… not very good. It would be in our best interest to keep my true appearance hidden, especially around civilians," Lucario responded turning to look at Nova.

"In that case," Jack stated, "It's probably best if I do the talking while we're here. It'd kind of defeat the purpose of a disguise if you kept using your telepathy."

"I am fine with that, though I doubt me using telepathy would give me away," Lucario said. "Anyways, let's get moving."

With that said, the trio started off towards the port city. It didn't take them too long to reach the outskirts. Apparently Ford had already gotten everything taken care of as they were let through the military checkpoint without any issues. A squad of soldiers escorted them to the naval base that was part of Haven. The entrance to the base was heavily guarded at the current moment with two black, menacing-looking tanks sitting at the gate.

Jack stared at the tanks in extreme curiosity. Ford had mentioned something about ghosts during their first meeting, and said they were classified information; a secret weapon of some kind. Looking at these tanks, covered top to bottom with plates of some strange, reflective, black substance, Jack started wondering if this is what the general had been talking about.

" _So,"_ he asked Lucario and Nova telepathically. " _Are these the ghost tanks Ford talked about?"_

" _I haven't heard of any such ghost tanks,"_ Lucario replied, " _They do bare great resemblance to some other tanks I saw, though the black coating is something new."_

" _I don't know anything about any ghost tanks either, though I do agree with Lucario,"_ Nova added.

" _Okay then,"_ Jack said with a shrug.

Once they entered the base, they could see several ships along the dock. They were very angular and curved in appearance with no sharp corners. One of them had quite a few soldiers surrounding it as supplies were loaded onto the ship. The soldiers lead them into a building close to the docks. Once inside, they were directed to the commander's office. The name 'Commander Crerar' was written across the door.

"Welcome," Crerar said as the trio entered his office. "I must admit, I was pretty surprised at how fast you got here. Couldn't have been more than thirty minutes since I got off the phone with General Ford. Based on what he said, I owe you three a great deal."

Jack looked back at Lucario and Nova and shrugged. "I guess you could think of it that way. I for one had business with Alpha anyway. Ending the war was a nice bonus, but I won't claim my motives were anything as noble as that."

"War ain't over yet," Crerar replied, "Though based on today's offensive, it could be over very soon. Still, you have my thanks."

"You're very welcome," Jack said with a nod. "To get down to business though, we're here protect one of those ships; right?"

"Yes, the SRS Silverlake. It is the ship getting supplied right now. I am sure you saw it on the way in," Crerar responded. "Though your official reason for being on the ship is for deportation."

"Yes," Jack deadpanned. "Because I'm a dangerous illegal alien that needs to be evicted from the region."

"Dangerous or not, you did enter the region illegally," Crerar said, his voice suddenly harsher. "I am aware of your previous conversation with Ford on the matter. But our region has laws and they will be enforced."

Jack sighed mentally. He was thinking clearly enough at this point to appreciate exactly how idiotic sneaking into Saldara really was. All this time, no matter how much good he'd done, he was still effectively a wanted man; a criminal. He really was fortunate that General Ford had been so understanding. Now that he knew his Pokémon weren't even here, he was feeling a lot less confident that coming here was the right thing to do. Even so, he couldn't say he really regretted it. After all, he'd met Nova.

"Yes," Jack replied nodding solemnly, recognising that polite formality was the appropriate tone in this situation. "I understand that. If I may, I would like to offer my apologies for entering the region illegally. In my defense, I wasn't really thinking straight at the time."

"Understandable, and given the circumstances of all public transportation into the region being shut down, you didn't have much of a choice," Crerar replied, his voice softening again. "If you want, you can either wait on shore or on the corvette."

Once again, Jack glanced back at Nova and Lucario. "What do you guys want to do?" he asked them.

" _I am fine with either option,"_ Lucario replied, causing Crerar to shift his attention to him.

"So Razgriz returns to us," the commander said, "Ford had said you would be with Jack. I heard about what you did before Alpha captured you. Your actions saved a lot of lives, both military and civilian. It is a shame what Alpha made you do during your captivity…"

 _"Thank you,"_ Lucario replied after a few seconds of silence. " _I did not think many would be so eager to forgive me for what I have done."_

"Some of us remember what you did before you were forced to become a weapon. While you caused lots of pain, suffering, and death while Alpha forced their will on you, you have also brought us lots of hope and joy when you were free. I simply choose to see you for who you are, not who Alpha used you as," Crerar responded.

Lucario looked at Crerar in what could be described as a mix of shock and confusion. He simply nodded his head a few seconds later.

" _Ford said that there would be a few people we knew here as well. Do you know where Eric and Tyler are?"_ Nova inquired.

"They are on the ship right now making sure the cargo is secure," Crerar replied. "Feel free to join them if you wish."

"That sounds like a plan to me," Jack said. "Any objections?"

" _Not on my end,"_ Nova answered as Lucario shook his head.

Jack nodded. "In that case let's get going. Personally, I'd like to take a closer look around the ship before we cast off."

"Very well, this shall be our farewell for now," Crarer started, extending a hand towards Jack.

Jack solemnly took the proffered hand and shook it. "Indeed, thank you again. We'll make sure the ship makes it to Sinnoh in one piece."

"We should be the ones thanking you. I for one would happily welcome you back here in the future," Crerar responded. "If you do plan to on walking around the ship, I do ask that you have someone else show you around. It's not a big ship, but there are still more than a few things on it that need to remain secret."

Jack nodded understandingly. "Fair enough. I'll try to restrain my curiosity."

" _Farewell commander, thank you for your words,"_ Lucario said as he bowed towards Crerar.

With that done the trio turned and left out of the building, then headed towards the ship that Crerar had indicated. Upon reaching the docks, the three of them were escorted by a pair of soldiers onto the ship. They were taken to the crew quarters which was under the ship's bridge. The two soldiers left them there with instructions not to leave the room. Looking around, they saw that the room had several rows of bunks; about fifty or so in total. This raised a very important question in Jack's mind.

"I guess we will wait here…" Nova said as she also looked around.

"Not much of a choice," Jack agreed with a shrug. "What I want to know is this. Are we going to be sleeping here, and if not then where?"

"I would imagine we will be in here. This ship doesn't seem big enough to have much more crew space," Lucario responded.

Jack nodded silently, although his expression spoke volumes about how little he thought of that plan. Used as he was to sleeping in wide open spaces, usually with only his Pokémon for company, these cramped crew quarters felt decidedly smothering. Maybe he could sleep on deck…

Jack's thoughts were interrupted by the arrival of two men; the first had blond hair and blue eyes, while the second's eyes and hair were two different shades of brown.

"Well, look what the cat dragged in," the brown-haired man commented. "Glad to have you back on our side and not trying to kill me."

" _I am very sorry about that…"_ Lucario responded..

"Don't worry about it, though an explanation would be nice," the brown-haired man stated as he sat down on a nearby bed.

" _In short, mind control,"_ Lucario replied. " _Nova and Jack here were able to free me from Alpha's grasp."_

At this point, Jack had come to the realization that these two men were the old friends Nova and Lucario were so eager to see again. What were their names again… Eric and Tyler? They'd probably introduce themselves before too long, so Jack figured he'd just hold out until then.

"I see…" the brown-haired man started as he looked over at Jack and Nova. "So you are the famed super human from Sinnoh?"

"Yeah," Jack admitted, scratching the back of his head. "Apparently my reputation precedes me, even here."

"After what you pulled at Fort Aaron, a lot of us special forces guys did some quick studying up on you," the other man, the blond-haired one, said injecting himself into the conversation.

Jack did his best to hide the cheeky grin that spread across his face. "No kidding. Maybe I should've toned it down as little… but oh well, that was a lot of fun."

"You're probably the first person I have met that would call combat fun…" the brown-haired man sighed, shaking his head some before letting out a small laugh.

"Yeah… Fun isn't the first word that comes to mind," the blond one agreed, rubbing the back of his head.

"Hey," Jack replied, raising his hands defensively. "Don't get me wrong. Going up against a tank, or a handful of armed soldiers, isn't my definition of fun either. Fighting a powerful Pokémon whose abilities rival my own, that's fun. Mostly if I avoid dying, but still."

"Fair enough," the brown-haired man said, "I'm Warrant Officer Eric Powell and this is my executive officer, Tyler."

"Jack Storm," Jack introduced himself. "Pleasure to make your acquaintance. I've got to admit, I'm more than a little curious about how the two of you know Lucario here. I sense a bit of a story."

"We actually met back in Sinnoh," Eric started. "Well, I did at least. I was there getting my back fixed up after injuries I suffered in a helicopter crash. Turns out that Alpha figured that out and sent a pair of bounty hunters after me. Lucario here saved my life that night. Though the fire type Pokémon they were using set a good chunk of the Eterna forest on fire."

" _I did not enjoy those burns…"_ Lucario telepathically mumbled as he recalled that fight.

"After that, I unknowingly traveled with him and Nova as they disguised themselves under Nova's illusions. We were on the same cruise ship heading back to Saldara when Alpha attacked it. He managed detach the magnetic explosives they had attached to the ship. He saved everyone who was on that ship. Once we reached Saldara, the two of them disappeared. Didn't see them for quite a while before Lucario surprised my squad as we were on patrol on the west coast. That was when he started working with us quite a bit. He warned us about an Alpha attack on Silverlake and helped us find and destroy an Alpha base."

Jack nodded sagaciously. "Apparently I was right, there was a story."

" _That there was,"_ Lucario said, nodding his head in agreement.

"So," Jack continued. "Any idea when we set sail? I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm dying to get back to Sinnoh."

"From what I have gathered, as soon as the ship finishes resupplying. Should be within an hour at this point," Eric replied. "Have any other questions?"

Jack shook his head. "None that won't probably be answered on their own before too long."

"Alright, well we have to get back to making sure our cargo is secure. You can join us if you want. I imagine there isn't much for you to do in this room," Eric offered.

"You don't say," Jack replied with a straight face. "But yes, that sounds like a good idea. It'll also help me get a better feel for the ship, which will help if we actually do end up having to defend it."

"Hopefully we won't need to, but Alpha has been crafty in some of their stealth operations," Tyler said as he exited the room.

The two soldiers walked down one of the corridors towards the aft end of the ship. Due to the ship's small size, it didn't take them long to the location where the diamonds and small statues were being kept. There were two other soldiers and several sailors helping secure them in place as they walked in.

"We almost ready?" Eric asked one of the other soldiers.

"Yes sir, getting the last of the straps fastened down now," he replied before seeing the others behind him. "So those are the folks you mentioned earlier?"

"Yep, the two Pokémon I have fought with before, though the kid is new," Eric responded, gesturing towards Jack.

Jack shrugged. "I'm just along for the ride here."

"Right... " Eric said with a short laugh.

"Nice to see the legend in person. Read about what you did back at Fort Aaron, so you have my thanks," the other soldier stated, nodding his head in Jack's direction.

"You're welcome," Jack replied, nodding back. "Although honestly, I think Nova here did most of the work on that one."

" _I have already gotten used to people thanking me,"_ Nova said, rubbing the back of her head. " _You're the new face here, not me."_

"Well you deserve it; you're awesome," Jack said off-handedly. "But you're right, I guess I did make quite an entrance."

"That's an understatement. The fact that you went head to head with Razgriz here speaks volumes by itself," one of the special forces operatives said, gesturing towards Lucario.

Jack glanced at Lucario as well, then shrugged again. "That's not to say I'd want to do it again. Ever."

" _I wouldn't call that my best performance either,"_ Lucario let out a short chuckle at Jack's words. His memories of their fight were somewhat hazy, but he did remember it.

"I know," Jack deadpanned. "Which is why I'd rather not go head to head against you again any time soon. I'd like to keep what little pride I have left."

" _He also tends to cheat,"_ Nova interjected with a mischievous grin.

Jack smirked a little. "So do I, but that just means we'd be on an even playing field. Still don't like my chances. I mean, seriously. I only beat you because I cheated like a scumbag, I wouldn't stand a chance against him."

Lucario, Nova, and the soldiers all let out a short laugh at Jack's expense. Jack didn't mind, and laughed right along with them. Honestly though, what with how much his powers evolved just during his time in Saldara, Jack really wasn't sure at this point whether he could actually defeat Lucario. Especially if they both really went all-out. Jack knew one thing for sure, finding out for sure would be all but impossible; the fabric of reality might not be able to handle it. Before Jack's train of thought could go any further though, another person walked into the room; it was the captain.

"Are we all set here?" The captain asked as he glanced over everyone present.

"Yes sir, Captain Yazek," Eric said as he turned towards him.

"Very well, then we will get underway. The sooner we are done with this mission, the better," Yazek continued before turning his attention to Jack, Nova, and Lucario. "Cannot remember the last time civilians got to ride on this ship. It might be a bit of a boring trip, but the boring ones are the easy ones."

" _I can agree to that,"_ Lucario stated as he thought back to all of his 'exciting' travels.

Jack opened his mouth to express his love of interesting things, but thought the better of it. "Yeah…" he agreed instead, wincing slightly, "You're probably right about that."

"Very well then, you all know your jobs should Alpha manage to find and attack us. Hopefully our ship's stealth characteristics will allow us safe passage back to Sinnoh," the captain finished before turning and leaving the room.

"There sure is a lot of stealth going on around here…" Jack commented. "I mean, does everything in Saldara have to be invisible?"

"Cannot hit what you cannot see. Being an island region, we have to make use of what resources we do have," Eric replied.

Jack shot a look at Nova and Lucario. "Hey, either of you have any problems hitting what you can't see?"

" _Nope,"_ they replied in unison, each with a small smirk on their muzzles.

"Well, unlike you all, most humans cannot see aura to track their enemies," Tyler countered with a small laugh.

Jack sighed. "Well, you've got a point there. I guess up against Alpha's outdated weapons, a few stealth units could do a lot of damage."

"Even against our state of the art sensors they win nine times out of ten in hypothetical matchups," Eric elaborated.

"Okay, okay," Jack said, holding up his hands in surrender. "I give up, I'll never besmirch the good name of Saldaran stealth tech again."

All of the soldiers let out a laugh at Jack's antics. That was when the ship started to move ever so slightly sideways as its thrusters moved it away from the dock. A few seconds later, the whine of the gas turbines kicking in could be heard as the ship started forwards, its two waterjets propelling the corvette through the water. It wasn't long till the ship was out of the harbor and making its way to Sinnoh. Once there, Jack would be back on the path to finding his friends.

Jack took a deep breath and set his jaw. " _Hang tight everyone,_ _I'm on my way."_

* * *

Me: Yet another 8,000+ word super-chapter, and not a scrap of action to be found. I know some of you out there, you know who you are, aren't too thrilled about that. Once again though, I just couldn't justify splitting it up into two smaller chapters; better to get it all out at once. Don't worry though, if I know Osean then the next chapter will have more than enough action to satisfy your cravings. And after that, we'll finally be able to move on to the next arc of my story; with Nova and Lucario along for the ride. After all, Jack would get lonely without anyone to laugh at him. And before you ask, no; there's absolutely no possibly way to make the three of them anything less than completely and totally overpowered in every way, shape, and form. *puts on sunglasses* So deal with it. See you in next chapter everybody.


	31. Homeward bound

Jack flopped onto one of the bunks in the sleeping quarters. "Well then, I guess we'd best enjoy the voyage while we can."

"I for one am just glad to have some down time," Nova said as she did the same on a bunk of her own. "Well, that and to have Lucario back, especially that part."

"I can agree to that," Lucario continued, sitting next to Nova and running one of his paws through her blue mane.

Jack closed his eyes and sighed wistfully. "How long do you think the trip will take? I didn't keep track on the way here."

"It took us two days the last time we were on a ship going between Saldara and Sinnoh," Lucario replied, looking over at Jack. "So I imagine it will be similar this time around."

Jack nodded. "Okay then, just wondering."

"You are from Sinnoh, correct?" Lucario asked.

While he was pretty confident in his assertion, he didn't know Jack all that well at this point.

Jack nodded again in affirmation. "Yup. Born and raised there. This was the first time I've ever been out of the region."

"We were both in Sinnoh for a few days many months ago," Lucario said, thinking back. "That was actually when we met Eric, though we were disguised as humans at the time."

"So, if this is your first time away from Sinnoh, are you eager to get back home?" Nova asked, sitting up on the bunk before leaning against Lucario's shoulder.

Jack grinned slightly, although it didn't reach his eyes. "Yeah, I guess. Although I probably won't be going home for quite some time yet. Still, it'll be nice to get back to familiar territory after spending so much time wandering around with no idea what I was doing."

"Well, you were pretty clueless when you first arrived," Nova countered with a smirk.

Jack glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. "Well," he continued, his grin spreading slightly, "Keep in mind, I kept up with you pretty well while we were defending Fort Aaron on my second day in the region."

"Last I checked, you stumbled into a military checkpoint on your first night," Nova said as her smirk grew as well. Lucario just let out a short laugh at their banter, shaking his head ever so slightly.

Jack snorted dismissively. "Details, details…"

"Details are important," Lucario started, interjecting himself into the conversation. "Details allow one to pick up on the weakness of their opponent in combat."

"And what weaknesses could you possibly ascertain from the fact that I'm a bumbling idiot?" Jack deadpanned.

"Spar with me and I will gladly show you," Lucario countered with a semi-malicious grin.

Jack shrugged. "I'll pass. I think the mainland is still too close, we might destroy something important."

Both Lucario and Nova let out a short laugh at Jack's words.

"You might have a point," Lucario replied with a grin.

Jack chuckled, and swung around so he was sitting on the edge of his bunk. "Well," he said, getting to his feet, "I'm going to go see if it's dinner time yet. Coming?"

"Sure, why not," Nova said as she jumped to her feet. Lucario simply stood up and followed after the two of them.

* * *

Two days later...

"Captain, I have three radar contacts on bearing one-nine-three. Range is thirty kilometers and closing."

"Any idea what they are?" Yazek inquired, leaning forward from his chair in the center of the bridge. He glanced at this ship's clock and saw that it was just past 10AM. They were due in port in just under ten hours. They had covered all but the final leg of the trip without any other radar contacts.

"I would say medium sized ships, the computer is estimating their length to be around fifty to sixty meter," the radar operator replied. "Possibly fishing trawlers as we are approaching the Sinnoh economic exclusion zone."

"Could be… What is their current heading?" Yazek asked.

"All three vessels are maintaining a course along zero-eight-zero, sir."

"Helmsman, what is our bearing?" Yazek called out, turning his attention to the sailor at the helm of the warship.

"Our heading is one-six-one, maintaining a speed of fifteen knots," the helmsman replied.

"Keep tracking those ships, I want an estimation of where they will be in relation to us as soon as possible," Yazek ordered. Ten minutes later, the model for the unknown ships' course was made.

"Sir… if we maintain our current speed and heading and they do as well, we will pass within three kilometers of each other," an officer reported upon analyzing the data the corvette's computer had generated.

"Far too close…" Yazek muttered under his breath, "Helmsman, reduce speed to one-fourth and bring us to bearing one-nine-three."

"Reducing speed to one-fourth and turning to bearing one-nine-three, aye sir," the helmsman replied as he pulled back on the ship's throttle. The ship gently started to slow down from its fifteen knot speed down to just under nine knots. The sailor then turned the wheel hard to starboard causing the ship to turn right through the ocean. After a few seconds, he spun the wheel back around and steadied the ship on the proper heading.

"That should give us a little bit of breathing room," Yazek said with a sigh. He could only hope that those ships were indeed fishing trawlers. A half hour passed before the next development came in.

"Sir, I see a Pokémon off the port side. A large flying type with what appears to be someone riding on it," a lookout reported as he glared through his binoculars at the Pokémon in question.

"Sir! I just picked up a coded radio transmission originating off of our port beam. It's encryption matches that of an Alpha handheld radio!" A different officer relayed.

"All three ships just increased speed and are changing their bearing, they are turning right towards us sir!" The radar operator said as he monitored his station.

"I am picking up Alpha fire control radar in the direction of the unidentified fleet. At this range they should not be able to acquire us," a different officer relayed.

"Sound general quarter! Helmsman, full speed ahead and set course for Canalave City! Fleet is confirmed to be hostile. Weapons, you are free to engage," Yazek ordered in a powerful, yet calm voice. All throughout the ship, alarms sounded as the ship leaned over some as it executed its powerful turn to port. The warship's two waterjets propelling through the waves at a speed of thirty-five knots.

"Aye sir, confirming radar lock on nearest ship and uploading targeting information to the RBS-15s," the weapons officer replied. "Both missiles on the port side are ready to fire."

"Fire!"

* * *

Jack stumbled for a moment as he felt the ship turn sharply under him. "Woah…" he muttered.

"That cannot be good…." Lucario said.

Only a moment later, alarms sounded throughout the ship. The ship's crew that had been with them in the crew quarters instantly jumped to their feet and started running to their battle stations.

Jack glanced at Lucario. "No kidding. Should we go and see what's going on? I mean, we are supposed to protect the ship."

"Teleport to the helicopter deck?" Lucario suggested, putting on of his paws on Jack's shoulders. "Nova, go to Eric and find out what is happening."

"Alright," Nova replied as she nodded her head and went off in the direction of Eric's aura.

With a crackle of electricity, Jack teleported up to the deck of the ship dragging Lucario along for the ride. When they got there, there was a loud roar as the ship vibrated lightly before a bright flash and plume of smoke on their right. This was followed almost immediately by another as two anti-ship missiles raced into the sky.

Jack stared in shock at the massive projectiles as they arced through the air away from the ship. "What the… what were those things?"

"Anti-ship missiles, not the first time I have seen them but definitely the closest I have been to them," Lucario replied in a level voice.

"Wow," Jack commented, this being the first time he'd ever seen missiles of any kind.

That was when Nova's voice rang out in both of their heads.

" _Eric said that there are three Alpha ships closing in on us. Also, you two might want to steady yourselves,"_ Nova said.

Jack opened his mouth to say that he'd be fine, but decided the better of it.

Jack and Lucario both took Nova's advice and aurically attached themselves to the ship right before it executed another powerful turn to port, the bow of the ship cutting across the direction in which Jack guess the Alpha ships were in based on the missiles. Once the ship finished its turn, another two missiles shot out of its side.

"All four missiles are in the air and tracking, sir," the weapons officer reported. "Current range to enemy ships is fifteen kilometers and closing fast. They will have a radar lock on us any moment."

"Given that they are most likely Göteborg class corvettes, that would give them twenty-four missiles ready to launch as soon as they get a lock on us. Our single gun cannot defeat that many missiles…" Yazek muttered. "Helm, put out bearing directly towards them, give them the smallest radar cross section possible."

"Aye sir."

"The first set of missiles has entered them terminal runs now sir. Impact in five… four… three… two… one… Impact! One missile was intercepted but the other has struck the lead ship. The second pair of missiles are closing on their target now…. The lead missile was just intercepted and destroyed but the second one is still closing. Impact… now!" The radar officer relayed. A few moments later two columns of black smoke could be seen on the horizon.

"Alright… so that leaves us up against eight missiles…" Yazek said. "I still don't like those odds…"

"Sir, if I might offer a suggestion," Eric started, having made his way to the bridge with Nova. "I believe that our three guests might be able to help."

"How so?" Yazek inquired.

"Nova, can you call Lucario and Jack here so I can see if this will work," Eric said.

" _Alright,"_ Nova replied before closing her eyes for a brief moment. Seconds later, both Jack and Lucario appeared in a crackle of electricity.

"What's this about missiles?" Jack asked.

"We are about to have eight of them heading our way. Chances are we can only intercept about half of those with the ship's main gun. What are the chances either or both you can redirect a missile with your psychic powers?" Eric inquired.

Jack glanced at Lucario. "I don't know about him, but it'd probably be easier for me to just detonate them midair."

"I don't think that is a good idea… What is the range of your abilities?" Yazek asked.

Jack scratched the back of his head. "Only a little more than a kilometer. Let me guess, not enough?"

"Not anywhere near enough…. These missiles carry two-hundred kilograms of explosives and travel at over three hundred meters per second. You detonate that missile at one kilometer and you going to be pulverized by shrapnel," Yazek warned.

Jack winced. "Okay, redirection it is then. Might be tricky, if they're moving that quickly. Still, having to deal with four missiles would definitely be better than eight."

"We will also pop off of chaff rockets to try and make one or two of them miss," Yazek said. "So can you do this?"

Jack nodded. "Yes, it won't be a problem."

" _I should be able to do that as well,"_ Lucario replied.

"Can you do that from here or do you do you need to be on the bow of the ship?" Yazek asked as he looked the two of them over.

A mischievous smile tugged at the corner of Jack's mouth. "Well, the fewer things between me and my targets the better."

"Then on the bow would probably be better," Yazek said.

Before anyone else could say anything, the radar operated interrupted.

"Sir! The lone surviving ship just started launching its missiles!"

" _No time to waste then,_ " Lucario stated as he put his paw on Jack's shoulder once again.

Jack nodded, and teleported them both up to the bow of the corvette. Once there Jack immediately turned toward the direction the ship was facing.

"So," Jack commented. "How long do you think it'll be before the missiles are in range? For that matter, what is your range anyway?"

"Never really tried to extend my psychic abilities, so probably not as good as yours," Lucario replied. "You get the first one, I will grab the second."

Jack nodded. "That's assuming we only have to deal with two of them. But sure, that sounds like a plan. I should be able to get at least two of them, if it comes to that."

"I certainly hope so… or else this could end very badly…" Lucario muttered.

That was when there was a mechanical sound just ahead of them as the two panels flipped outwards on the turret in front of them and the barrel rose up from its hidden location. That was when Jack noticed a trail of smoke on the horizon.

"Here they com-" Lucario started but was interrupted by the bark of the ship's cannon.

" _I see them,"_ Jack replied telepathically. " _And I'm ready."_

The ship's main gun fired over three rounds a second at the approaching missiles. Small black puffs of smoke were visible in the distance as the shells detonated and filled the sky with shrapnel order in destroy their targets. Almost instantly there was a large explosion, quickly followed by another. Jack counted the large explosions in his head. After the fourth one, he noticed that the missiles were getting uncomfortably close. That was when the ship launched off several chaff rockets, filling the air around the ship with thousands of pieces of aluminum.

Jack's eyes glowed like molten gold and he held out his right hand towards the approaching missiles. He furrowed his brow in concentration, and a plume of water rose into the air as one of the missiles dived down into the ocean and detonated. Lucario's were closed as a bright purple light emitted from around the edges. His extended right paw was glowing purple too as he found a psychic grip on one of the missiles as well and plunged it into the sea.

The third approaching missile was drifting away from them, being lured into the cloud of chaff, leaving only one final missile closing on the ship. The 57mm gun had been firing nonstop, but was having trouble against the maneuvering missile as it entered its terminal approach.

Jack gritted his teeth and unleashed a tidal wave of telekinetic energy in a last-ditch attempt to redirect the last projectile to the side. With a grunt of exertion from Jack, the missile moved just enough to skim past the corvette's stern; missing it by no more than a dozen meters.

Lucario let out a sigh of relief as he leaned back and sat down against the forward part of the ship's superstructure.

"Too close…" he muttered as he opened his eyes and looked up at the sky.

"You're telling me…" Jack groaned, both exhausted and terrified from the experience. His face was pale as a ghost, and he was breathing heavily. Sweat was dripping from his hair into his eyes, despite the chilling ocean spray. Redirecting the missiles had taken a lot more effort than he'd bargained for, and he still hadn't fully recovered from his near-death experience at the Alpha base. It had taken almost everything he had to move the second missile in time.

"We aren't done yet…" Lucario said as he saw the stillhouse of a ship on the horizon. As if to answer his complaint, the corvette's main gun trained towards the ship before once again roaring to life, firing the remaining rounds in its current clip at the Alpha ship in the distance. That was also when the Alpha ship started to return fire, turning slightly to the side to get both the guns on the front and rear of the ship firing.

" _It would probably be best if we got back inside,"_ Lucario suggested as shells started raining down around the ship.

Jack was still looking out at the incoming Alpha ship, trying to decide whether or not to do something insane. Even now that they'd stopped its first volley of missiles, there was no guarantee that the Alpha ship didn't have more. In addition, there was a chance that the enemy's guns would find their mark. A rueful grin tugged at one corner of his mouth as he contemplated how crazy his scheme was, but he got to his feet nonetheless.

"I'll… be right back," he said.

Before Lucario could respond, Jack disappeared with a crackle of electricity. His target was the only other landing point in direct sight, the Alpha ship. Jack popped back into existence in a cramped room, probably somewhere below deck on the enemy corvette. There was a lot of machinery with a long, belt-like part running up towards the roof. Jack could see the belt of shells being fed through it, and he could barely hear the sound of one of the ship's two guns firing.

" _I'm in the loading room for one of their guns,"_ Jack thought to himself.

Looking around, Jack realized that if the shells exploded on impact then a well-placed explosion here could very well detonate the entire load. Jack glanced at several large containers, similar to the one attached to where the shells were coming from, and conjured up an Aura Sphere in his hand. He presumed that the containers held ammunition for the main gun. One explosion, and the entire ship would probably go up in flames. That's all it would take. One explosion… and everybody on the ship would be dead.

Jack froze, a sense of disgust washing over him. " _What am I doing…?"_ he asked himself. He didn't like the answer.

 _They're the enemy. They're trying to kill you._

" _And that justifies me stooping to their level?"_ Jack argued with himself.

 _This is war. You remember war, don't you? Casualties are unavoidable._

" _I may not be able to save everyone,"_ Jack countered, gritting his teeth, " _But I won't kill."_

 _Even if it's you or them?_

Jack shook his head defiantly. " _There's always a third option. And if not, I'll make one!"_

 _You really are too soft, Jack. I promise you this much, it will be your downfall._

" _So be it,"_ Jack replied grimly.

Jack went to dissipate his Aura Sphere, his mind already racing to find other ways of disabling the Alpha ship. He could just go around and knock out everyone on board. It would be a lot of work, especially in his current condition. Plus, it he stayed on board too long there was a chance the Saldaran corvette might end up hitting him with their cannon. Even so, it was better than killing.

It was at that moment Jack realized that he'd teleported. He was back on the Saldaran ship beside Lucario. He could feel his mouth being stretched upward in a small grin, but he didn't feel like smiling.

" _What…? What the heck just happened?!"_ he asked desperately.

 _You just did what had to be done... I'm sorry, I really am, but you have to learn._

Jack watched the horizon in morbid fascination as the Alpha ship went up in a massive fireball. The Aura Sphere he'd left behind when he teleported had exploded, just as planned, and detonated the ship's ammunition supply. To Jack's horror, he felt his lips part and heard a chuckle escape them.

"Well," his own voice said, an edge of steel in its tone. "That was surprisingly easy."

"Yeah…" Lucario replied as he looked from the rising pillar of black smoke over towards Jack.

Jack stared numbly at the destroyed ship for a few more seconds until, eventually, the sound from the blast finally reached them; no more than a low thud after travelling so far. It was the final testament to what he had done. Jack's stomach tied itself into a tight, cold knot as the horrible truth sank in. Even so, he knew he couldn't stand there all day.

"Well then, shall we report back to the captain?" he asked grimly, turning to face Lucario; any trace of a smile having completely vanished from his face.

"I guess that we should," Lucario said as he put one of his paws on Jack's shoulder.

One quick teleport later, and the two of them were back in the bridge. The crew that was present were all looking at the remains of the Alpha ship before turning their attention back to Jack and Lucario.

"What did you do to them?" Yazek inquired as Lucario walked over to where Nova was standing.

"I took the most important-looking thing I could find," Jack replied solemnly, "and blew it up. In retrospect, I think it was their ammunition."

"Definitely the ammunition," Eric said as he looked through a pair of binoculars.

"Helmsman, bring us back down to cruising speed and resume course for Canalave City. Secure the ship from general quarters," Yazek ordered before turning his attention back to Jack. "Thanks for your help. Without you, we probably would not still be here. Granted, if you weren't here, I probably would have avoided combat altogether."

Jack felt like screaming. He didn't want to be congratulated, he wanted to be berated; maybe even punished. If people kept congratulating him, telling him that what he'd done was okay, he might start believing them...

"Thanks for that vote of confidence," Jack replied, doing his best to seem upbeat. "Anyway, if you don't mind I'm going to go have a nap. That trick with the missiles really took it out of me."

" _I think I will do the same,"_ Lucario added on, as deflecting even one missile had proven to be a tall order.

"My thanks goes out to you as well, Demon of Razgriz," Yazek said, nodding his head towards Lucario.

" _I am simply trying to right the many wrongs I was forced to commit,"_ Lucario responded.

"Well, let me ask you this, if you hadn't been forced to be a weapon for Alpha, would you have still helped?" Yazek asked.

" _Of course,"_ Lucario replied in a bit of a forceful voice.

"Then in my opinion, you have no wrongs to right," Yazek finished before turning his attention back to the ship.

With that done, the trio left the bridge and started down to the crew quarters passing a few sailors along the way. It didn't take them long to reach their destination and both Lucario and Jack plopped down onto a bunk with a heavy thud, each letting out a sigh. Jack didn't feel like starting a conversation, but he knew that if he didn't someone would probably ask about the missiles or the Alpha ship; and he didn't want to think about them right now.

"So," Jack asked in what he hoped was an off-handed manner, "Demon of Razgriz, is that some sort of title?"

"I guess you could call it that…" Lucario started. "It's from a story, one that has an interesting history in this world. The Demon of Razgriz as a deadly demon that rained death and destruction upon the land. However, it is eventually killed. After a period of slumber, it awakens again. Though this time it returns as a great hero. I guess people see me in similar light as I have both helped and hurt Saldara."

Jack nodded. "I see… do you like the nickname?"

Lucario closed his eyes and was silent for a few seconds as he thought about Jack's question.

"It… does have a certain appeal to it. It reminds me of what I did, yet also gives me hope for a better future," Lucario replied in a somber tone.

Jack was silent for a moment. "Okay then, just wondering," he replied eventually. "Hey Nova, do you have any nicknames?"

"Nope," Nova said in response before turning back to Lucario. "I think that Razgriz would sound nice. It does kind of have a nice ring to it."

Jack chuckled, grinning mischievously. "Well then, I guess we'll just call you Razgriz from now on. Gotta say, it'll be less confusing that way if we run into any other Lucarios."

Razgriz nodded his head before closing his eyes as he laid on the bunk. "Very well then."

Nova sat down next to Razgris, placing one of her paws on his shoulder as he rested. "Reliqua," she said in a soft voice with a faint smile.

"By the way Nova," Jack continued, "I never did ask you. Are those armbands some Azorian thing? They look too fancy to be for fighting."

"Verum," Nova said as she nodded her head. "They are royal Azorian bracers, worn by queens. On most occasions, they were to be offered during a proposal."

Jack flung himself into one of the top bunks. "Okay, I think I get the picture. If you need me, I'll be up here beating my curiosity into submission."

"Got more questions I take it?" Nova said with a short laugh.

"Nope, none," Jack replied decisively from his crow's nest.

"That's a lie if I ever heard one," Nova countered with a smirk as she stood up and climbed onto the bunk above where Razgriz was sleeping.

"Nope," Jack denied. "That would require curiosity, but mine is currently off for the day due to work-related injury."

"Tomorrow then," Nova said as she sat down. While she wasn't very tired, she could use the time to meditate. "I know most people usually have more questions after hearing about a Pokémon wearing royal artifacts."

"Actually, I think I understand the situation just as well as I'd like to," Jack replied. "Remember, I'm still young and impressionable."

"Is that some human saying?" Nova asked curiously.

Jack's face was hidden, but Nova and Lucario, or Razgriz as he was now to be called, could practically hear him roll his eyes. "No… never mind."

"Humans…" Razgriz muttered before trying to get some rest.

"Wake me up when it's time for lunch, deal," Jack replied with a yawn. "Otherwise I'm not sure I'll get up in time."

"Not making any promises," Nova responded playfully, a noticeable smirk present on her muzzle.

Jack snorted slightly. "Fine then. Just remember though, once we get to Sinnoh I'll be handling the food. Unless you want it all extra well-done, I'd suggest humoring me for a while," he shot back smugly.

"Implying either of us would need to rely on you for food," Nova countered, equally as smug.

Jack chuckled mischievously. "I can cook it in your paws at twenty paces."

"Fine…" Nova huffed, rolling her eyes in defeat.

"Glad you know who holds the aces here," Jack stated. "It's like they say, control a person's food and you control the person."

"I prefer beating them to a pulp then branding them," Razgriz countered.

Jack was silent for a moment. "Well, you're not wrong. Then again I don't think that's a viable option in this scenario, for reasons discussed previously."

"Simply stating facts," Razgriz said, "It usually isn't a good idea to get in the way of a Pokémon and their food."

"Exactly," Jack retorted. "Hence why Nova should wake us up on time for lunch."

"Are you implying you are a Pokémon?" Nova inquired.

"At this point, would you be at all surprised?" Jack countered.

"Honestly… not really…" Nova started before glancing over at him. "You aren't actually a Pokémon, right?"

"Not to my knowledge… Although honestly it wouldn't surprise me either," Jack deadpanned.

"Just how much of your past do you actually know?" Nova inquired.

Jack chuckled ruefully. "My adoptive parents, a pair of Lucarios, found me in a basket in the woods as a baby. They don't know who left me there."

"That is interesting…" Razgriz started as he glanced over at Jack. "Certainly explains a lot."

Jack nodded. "Yup. I had nothing on me but my robes and my dashing good looks, both of which have served me well to this day."

"I don't know, I never found humans to be that good looking," Nova teased with a small laugh.

Jack let out a small huff. "Well that's a matter of opinion…"

"I agree with her," Razgriz added in. "That makes it two to one."

"No it doesn't," Jack replied smugly. "Because my side is supported by a reputable authority."

"Huh?" Nova said, slightly confused at Jack's comment.

"My mom says I'm very handsome," Jack finished with a snicker.

"Right…." Nova deadpanned, both of her ears lowering to the side as she rolled her eyes.

Jack sighed and peeked at Nova over the edge of his bunk. "Really? That's all you've got? Here I was expecting a withering comeback."

"What were you expecting, something along the lines of you having a face only a mother could love?" Razgriz interjected once again with a healthy smirk.

Jack shrugged. "Eh… that's kinda obvious, but I guess it works."

"Well… look on the bright side of things," Nova started, her voice becoming more somber though she maintained a faint smile, "Out of the three of us, you at least still have your mother."

A look of guilt flashed across Jack's face, and he studied the floor. "Oh… right. Sorry."

"No need to apologize. It is something we have both long since accepted," Razgriz replied. "Though, it was definitely more recent for me than for Nova."

Jack nodded solemnly. "Okay then… I guess I am pretty lucky. I never knew my real mother, but... my adoptive parents filled the hole."

"In that regard, I suppose I am the luckiest of the three of us, as I actually knew my mother. Nova's died before she could even get to know her," Razgriz said as he looked over at Nova.

Jack sighed ruefully and rolled back out of sight. "Well, aren't we a pretty bunch. I'm starting to wonder if all supernaturally powerful people have some sort of tragic backstory."

"The tragic trio," Nova joked with a slight laugh, before she looked over at where Jack was lying. "So, what were your adoptive parents like?"

There was complete silence for a moment before Jack finally spoke. "They… were wonderful people. They taught me everything I know about… well, among other things my faith. They lived in a little forest near a human town, and all the Pokémon in the forest had come together in a community of their own. My father was the… I guess you could say he was the closest thing to a leader they had. He was the pastor, and one of the few Pokémon there who could read and speak the human language. He's the one who taught me."

"Your father sounds a lot like mine," Razgriz started as he thought back to his childhood days. "He was the leader of the Pokémon community in the mountains. A role that is currently Matthew's. He was well respected by pretty much everyone. A lot of people looked up to him, and he was always willing to help others in need. He also could read, speak, and write in the human language as well, though I highly doubt for the same reason your's could."

Jack shrugged. "My father used to be the partner of a human trainer. It's not too long a story."

"Yeah… not that simple for my father," Razgriz said with a small smirk.

"Kinda figured as much," Jack replied. "So… did either of you have any siblings?"

"No, neither of us do," Nova responded.

"It wasn't something that crossed my mind often as there were plenty of other younger Pokémon to play with when I was a child," Razgriz said.

"Okay then," Jack mumbled. "Just wondering."

"What about you?" Nova inquired.

Jack was silent for a moment. "I have a brother, a Lucario. He's... one of the people I came here to save."

"So that is why you came to Saldara?" Razgriz inquired as he still didn't know too much about Jack.

Jack sighed. "Yeah… that one is kind of a long story."

"Well…. We have a while till we get to port," Nova started tentatively.

Jack paused once again. He was reluctant to dredge up those memories, especially now that most of them had a bitter-sweet sting in their tails. Even so, Nova and Razgriz had a right to know the story.

"I suppose we do," Jack said with a sigh. "In that case, I suppose I might as well tell you considering you're only coming with me to help me find them. I owe you that much at least. You know I was raised by a family of Lucarios, right? Well, I left home about half a year ago to go and explore the world outside the forest. It was just me and my adoptive brother, Jason." Jack chuckled ruefully. "We got into a lot of trouble, even right off the bat. Do either of you know anything about Pokémon trainers?"

"Most go around forcibly stripping Pokémon away from their homes, family, and friends," Razgriz retorted in a none too kind manner.

Jack mulled it over for a second. "I guess… that's not an unfair description," he continued, his tone clearly stating that he thought it was. "For some, at least. I assure you though, trainers come in all shapes and sizes. I personally know a few who treat their Pokémon like… well, like family. And trust me, when I started my journey I saw them exactly the same as you do. I've just learned not to judge people by their title."

"I have learned that as well. There is a reason I said most, not all," Razgriz replied. "I used to hold a strong disdain towards all humans. I guess I still hold a bit of that, but it has mellowed out over this past year after getting to know some humans that were… well, honorable."

"Okay then," Jack continued. "Anyway, one of the first things Jason and I did when we left the forest was head for the human town nearby. We hadn't seen many humans before, so we figured we might as well make that our first adventure. It all seems so long ago now. Anyway, somehow or other we got roped into some kind of… trainer initiation ceremony, I guess. We met a professor who assumed I was a new trainer, and he put Jason in a Pokéball. I… may have freaked out a little."

"The last time someone tried to put me in a Pokéball, it exploded," Razgriz commented.

"When he put Jason into a Pokéball, I nearly exploded," Jack replied wryly.

"I doubt you were about to literally explode," Razgriz countered.

"No, I couldn't do that back then," Jack said with a straight face.

"Right…." Nova deadpanned, "Because there isn't anything you can't do."

Jack shifted slightly, most likely in a shrug. "I don't see why you're so surprised, considering I just deflected two anti-ship missiles with my mind."

"Not surprised, just wondering where the limit is," Nova countered.

"Between you and me," Jack started, his tone growing somber, "That stunt with the missiles was pretty close. That, and when we were fighting the hybrids. I'm still not sure what happened back there, with me disappearing and then my hair turning black... but one thing I do know, that was the closest I've ever been to dying."

"Yeah… been there as well, would not recommend it," Razgriz said.

"Anyway," Jack continued, his tone returning to normal, "Where was I… oh right, the professor. Well he gave me some basic trainer supplies and sent me on my way. Not before I got him to show me how to let Jason out of the Pokéball though. After that I figured hey, if people are going to assume I'm a trainer then that's fine with me. It provided a good cover story for why I was travelling with a Lucario."

"A cover story that writes itself, sounds nice. We always had to make ours," Nova replied with a playful smile.

"Yeah, it seemed like a good idea at the time," Jack said. "But then we ran into a couple of other Pokémon, a Scyther and a Breloom. After a brief fight, they decided they wanted to come with us. Then we ran into a few more Pokémon, who decided to come with us. And then we ran into a few more Pokémon… I think you can see where this is going."

"Yeah," both Nova and Razgriz said, nodding their heads.

"Eventually I just decided to embrace it," Jack continued, "And started actually doing trainer stuff. I went around challenging the gyms, meeting more Pokémon, and generally having a great time. Then… well, they say all good things must come to an end..."

"Sadly that always seems to be the case…." Razgriz replied, knowing all too well how such events played out.

Jack took a deep breath in an attempt to steel his nerves. This was where it got painful. "I… it was all my fault. I was too sure of myself, too cocky… I only have my own pride to blame for what happened. I was attacked by someone who I should've been able to defeat, but they took me by surprise. She made some sort of deal with some Alpha commandos. They wanted this."

Jack held his hand out over the side of his bunk and teleported the Pack into it, grabbing it by one of its two cloth straps and holding it out for Nova and Razgriz to see.

"What is it?" Nova asked, one of her ears tilting over to the side.

"This is…" Jack paused for a second, trying to figure out how to describe it to two technologically uneducated Pokémon. "Well, it's basically a replacement for Pokéballs. It can… _house_ dozens, if not hundreds of Pokémon at a time. They can enter or leave one at a time or all at once, pretty much whenever they want."

"Interesting… I would not recommend trying it one me unless you want it to explode," Razgriz said with a small laugh.

"Definitely not," Jack replied. "The thing is, this pack was developed by Alpha scientists who were hiding out in Sinnoh. I found it in their laboratory."

"Wait… Alpha has bases outside of Saldara?" Nova inquired.

"So it would seem…" Razgriz muttered.

"Long story short," Jack finished, "They came for it. I followed them here because I thought my Pokémon were still inside it, but they weren't."

"I see… As I said before, I owe you for saving me and I will do everything in my power to help you get them back," Razgriz stated as he bowed his head towards Jack.

Jack nodded in appreciation. "Thanks. At least I know who has them; a nasty piece of work called Hunter J. If we find her, we find my Pokémon."

"Hunter J…. sounds interesting…." Razgriz muttered.

"She's worse than any trainer, I'll tell you that much," Jack muttered grimly. "She goes around catching rare species of Pokémon and selling them like animals. I ran into her once before, but like I said; I thought she was dead."

"Catching rare species of Pokémon… Tell me, how rare is a genetically modified Lucario?" Razgriz said with a smirk.

Jack shrugged again. "Well I've only ever met about half a dozen, so pretty rare I guess."

"What are the odds that she would want one?" Razgriz continued.

Jack was silent for a moment. "I honestly don't know. It all depends on whether she thinks she can actually catch you but, all things considered…"

"You are not going to find better bait," Razgriz countered. "Unless you have a better plan to find her."

Jack leaned out over the edge of his bunk, a grin splitting his face from ear to ear. "Nope, that's the best plan I've heard so far; and way better than I'd hoped."

"Glad you agree, we can continue to scheme later. As for now, I am taking a nap," Razgriz said before lying back on the bunk.

Jack shrugged. "Sounds like a plan, I think I'll do the same. Remember Nova, it's your job to wake us up for lunch."

"Right, right," Nova replied dismissively, waving one of her paws in the air.

Jack nodded, and retreated back into his bunk; pulling the pack in with him. He was silent for a moment, but then he sighed.

"Nova… Razgriz…" he said quietly, "Thank you for… for everything; for wanting to help me."

"Just doing the right thing, no need to thank us," Nova responded with a warm smile.

Jack didn't reply. There was nothing more to say. He simply closed his eyes, relaxed, and eventually drifted off to sleep. His rest was untroubled by dreams, and he was feeling quite refreshed when Nova woke him up a few hours later for lunch.

Jack, Nova, and Razgriz made their way along with several of the other sailors. Eric and Tyler were not present though. They made their way through the small buffet line and grabbed what food they wanted. Lucario and Nova picked up what meat they could, which was currently chicken. There were a few berries that they picked up as well. Jack just loaded his plate with anything he could get his hands on.

After eating, both Razgriz and Jack were feeling more energized. From that point on, the trio simply continued to relax in the bunks until the ship made it to port a few hours later. All three of them were on the helicopter pad on the rear of the ship as it came into port at Canalave City. The ship slowly pulled up to the dock and was gently pushed up against it. Eric and the other soldiers offloaded the diamonds and statues, then handed them over to Sinnoh authorities.

"So, what now, just walk off?" Nova asked once the delivery had been completed.

Jack shrugged. "I guess so. I don't think there's as much paperwork for leaving Saldara as there is for entering it."

"Well… honestly, I don't think anyone will care if we were to just vanish," Razgriz started. "Afterall, from what I have gathered, you weren't supposed to be in Saldara, so if you were never in Saldara, you shouldn't arrive in Sinnoh."

Jack nodded. "Can't argue with that logic. In that case, I know somewhere we might be able to disappear to."

"Where would that be?" Nova asked.

Jack grinned slightly, although there was a rueful tint to it. "An old friend's house. I'll bet Maylene will be happy to see me in one piece."


	32. Back in Kansas

Jack, Razgriz, and Nova popped into existence with a crackle of electricity. They found themselves on a cobblestone street facing a large gate, beyond which was a large building that looked like a Japanese temple.

"Welcome to the Veilstone City Dojo," Jack told the two Saldarans.

"Certainly isn't like any building I have ever seen," Nova replied as she took in the building in front of her.

"Same here," Razgriz said as he too looked at the building.

"Veilstone is a very old city, and its culture is just as ancient," Jack commented, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. He'd missed this place. "The city's history is interwoven with myths and legends, so much so that it's sometimes hard to tell what's history and what's mythology. At least, that's what Maylene told me."

"So who is this Maylene?" Razgriz inquired as he continued to look at the complex.

Jack cocked his head thoughtfully to one side. "She's… well, she's the one who taught me most of what I know about martial arts. She's the gym leader of the Veilstone Gym, but I'm guessing that means absolutely nothing to you right? Does Saldara even have a Pokémon league?"

"Based on what I overheard from some of the soldiers there, they have something different. For one, the age to become a full fledged Pokémon trainer is eighteen. After that, they practically go through what I guess could be described as a form of military training with Pokémon instead of just challenging gyms," Razgriz replied.

Jack scratched the back of his head. "Okay then. I'd actually be interested to see that some time, but oh well. Anyway, you could think of Pokémon gyms as… I guess like checkpoints on a trainer's journey. In order to finish, you have to get past all eight gyms and collect their badges; which are basically just trophies saying you've beaten the gym. The point of it is to give new trainers a mark to shoot for, something that forces them to keep getting stronger in preparation for the Sinnoh League tournament. You following me so far?"

"So far yes," Nova said as both she and Razgriz nodded their heads.

"Veilstone Gym is the third in the series, which means the trainers who come through her gym are usually still somewhat inexperienced," Jack continued, a wry grin spreading across his face. "Which is unfortunate for them, because last time Maylene and I went head to head she gave me a run for my money. And by that I mean not only were her Pokémon on par with mine, but she personally fought me almost to a standstill."

"Sounds like quite the fight," Nova started before a smirk made its way onto her face. "Did you have to cheat that time as well?"

Jack rolled his eyes. "Not really. When I say she fought me 'almost' to a standstill, I mean the fight was over about five seconds after I started taking it seriously."

"Yeah, humans tend to not put up much of a fight. I fought a marine once, while he was certainly strong, not anywhere near as strong as I was," Razgriz said.

"I think you just summed up the majority of Earth's population," Jack deadpanned.

"Humans, only the dominant species because of their brains and what they can make with them," Razgriz continued.

Jack shrugged. "I guess that's a pretty fair description, for most humans at least. You'd better prepare to be surprised though, this dojo isn't exactly a holiday resort. And if Maylene has done as much training since I've been gone as I'd imagine she has, then she might just poke a few holes in your opinion of humanity."

"Doubtful," Razgriz scoffed, rolling his eyes.

"Just wait until you meet her," Jack insisted. "She's…"

Jack didn't finish that sentence, because at that precise moment he sensed an enormous surge of aura nearby. From the way Nova and Razgriz's heads turned, Jack figured they sensed it too. By Jack's estimation, it was coming from behind the dojo.

"Aaand that would be her," Jack commented with a smirk.

"Well…. That is certainly impressive…" Razgriz muttered, thinking there might have been some truth to Jack's words.

Jack snickered slightly. "I don't want to say I told you so, but…"

"That's a lie and you know it," Nova interjected with a small laugh.

Jack's grin widened. "Yeah, you're right. I really, really want to say I told you so."

"Impressive for a human," Razgriz finished, "I have sensed aura signatures far more powerful than hers."

"But from whom?" Jack challenged.

"Palkia, Dialga, and Giratina," Razgriz replied.

"Exactly," Jack shot back. "And let me ask you this, how do you stack up against Palkia or Dialga in terms of aura signatures?"

"Closer than you think," Razgriz countered with a satisfied smirk.

"Fine, fine," Jack conceded. "You have to admit though, saying that she's not as powerful as Palkia or Dialga is more of a compliment than anything else. Even being compared to legendary Pokémon is an honor."

"Fair enough," Razgriz said with a shrug.

"Anyway," Jack continued, "Let's go. With any luck, we can watch her train some. She basically runs this dojo, and… do you know what a dojo is?"

"Haven't heard that term before, but I think I get the general idea," Razgriz replied.

"It's basically a big school for studying martial arts, including the use of aura apparently," Jack explained. "And Maylene is one of the teachers, or at least she was when I left. By now she's probably the headmistress or something. Anyway, she used to teach a lot of the classes here and I doubt that's changed."

"In that case… Nova, disguise me if you would," Razgriz started, turning to look at Nova. "I would rather not cause a panic."

Nova nodded her head before closing her eyes briefly. Lucario's form seemed to glow for a bit, then in a flash his white fur turned blue, the dark grey fur on his chest was turned tan, and his dark purple spikes turned silver. Only his eyes remained a bright purple as before.

"There you go," Nova said as she opened her eyes again.

Jack nodded. "Alright then, let's knock on the front door. I know that's not our usual modus operandi, but let's try it just this once," he quipped, a wry grin tugging at the corner of his mouth.

"You mean it isn't acceptable to make your own doors?" Razgriz countered with a short laugh.

Jack shook his head. "Nope. It falls under the same category as making your own skylights. Been there, done that."

Nova couldn't help but laugh at Jack's choice of words, she shook her head some causing her mane to sway behind her.

Jack snickered slightly as well. "Yeah yeah, laugh it up. Seriously though, let's get inside and introduce ourselves before someone notices us and makes the first move instead."

Jack walked up to the front gate of the dojo with Nova and Razgriz following him. When he finally reached the gate, which consisted of vertical iron bars woven together by strands of copper ivy, Jack pulled a thick golden rope hanging off to one side. The rope sounded a bell, which tolled out a long, deep note that alerted anyone within several miles that there were visitors at the front gate.

Only a few moments later, someone stepped into view on the other side of the gate; a brown-haired boy who looked around Jack's age, wearing a white martial arts uniform that looked vaguely like Jack's robes.

"Hail, visitors," the boy greeted them, bowing formally. "Are you here to challenge the Veilstone Gym?"

Jack chuckled. "Nope, sorry. I know how much you all love a good show, but this is purely a social call. Tell Maylene that Jack is here to see her."

The boy nodded, then paused and glanced at Jack in confusion. "Wait a moment, you are acquainted with Master Maylene?"

Jack raised an eyebrow. " _Master_ Maylene now? Good grief… but to answer your question, I'm an old friend of hers. She'll know who you're talking about."

The boy nodded and bowed again. "Alright then. In that case please, come inside while I fetch Master Maylene."

The boy opened the gate for them, and Jack led Nova and Razgriz inside. The boy then went inside the main building, not making any noticeable haste.

"I'll tell you one thing," Jack commented once the young disciple was out of earshot. "There's no way I'm calling Maylene 'master'. And don't let me hear either of you calling her that either, although I doubt you would anyway."

"Yeah… not happening… Ever..." Razgriz replied.

Jack nodded. "That's pretty much what I figured. I just don't want to inflate her ego any bigger than it absolutely has to be. I don't want her making my mistakes," he said with a wry smirk, although he was only half joking.

At that moment, there was another surge of aura from behind the dojo. The disturbance started moving rapidly towards them and, barely a few seconds later, something flew clean over the roof of the dojo and landed less than two meters in front of Jack. A quick glance told Jack exactly what he already knew.

"Long time no see, Jack," Maylene said, rising from her crouch and stepping forward out of the shallow crater she'd made in the ground.

"Yeah," Jack replied, "It's been a while, hasn't it."

Maylene walked slowly up to Jack, looking him up and down as if checking to make sure he was still in one piece. After a few seconds she seemed to be satisfied. She smiled warmly and looked Jack in the eyes. Then, without warning, she closed the distance between them and wrapped her arms around Jack's torso in a bear hug. Jack was caught completely by surprise, and he almost had the wind crushed out of him.

"It really is you," Maylene exclaimed quietly, still squeezing Jack tightly. "You're alright."

Jack couldn't help but smile, although he was still somewhat taken aback by the hug. "Yeah," he replied, "I'm fine. It's good to see you again too."

Maylene smothered her face in Jack's right shoulder, and squeezed him slightly tighter; although it hardly seemed possible.

"I was so worried," Maylene said softly into his robes, her voice cracking slightly. Jack felt a lump form in his throat as he realized that she was holding back tears. "I… I thought I'd never see you again…"

Jack sighed and wrapped his arms gently around Maylene's shoulders, running a hand through her scruffy, tomboy-ish ginger hair in what he hoped was a comforting manner. He'd never seen Maylene get even slightly misty-eyed before. She must have been worried sick about him. In retrospect, he couldn't really blame her.

"Well, I'm back now," he reassured her. "I made it back, safe and sound. Although a few more minutes of this and you might break a rib or two," he added with a grin.

Maylene let out a short laugh that could, Jack supposed, have also been a sob. He decided to call it a laugh. The gym leader released her vice grip on Jack and backed up a little, as Jack also let his arms fall to his sides.

"Sorry about that," Maylene apologised, before glancing at the Pack and then behind Jack at Razgriz. "So, you found them then? Is that you, Jason?"

Jack felt like someone had stabbed an icicle through his heart, and it was freezing his stomach. He was hard-pressed to hold back tears of his own.

"N… no," he managed to croak out past the lump in his throat. "They're… some people I met in Saldara."

" _You can call me Razgriz,"_ the disguised aura Pokémon started telepathically before gesturing with one of his paws towards the Zoroark next to him. "And this is my mate, Nova."

" _Nice to meet you,"_ Nova said with a friendly smile.

Maylene was momentarily taken aback, but to her credit she just accepted it and moved on.

"It's a pleasure to meet you as well," the gym leader replied, bowing to them. "My name is Maylene. I'm sure there's quite the story behind why you're here with Jack," she commented, looking back over at him, "But first, where's..."

"I didn't find them!" Jack interrupted her, almost shouting; his fists clenched in an effort to hold back the tears that wanted to stream down his face. "I… I didn't find them..."

Maylene nodded solemnly. "You'd better come inside. I'll get you all something to eat, and you can tell me everything," she said in a tone that left no room for argument.

Jack took a deep breath, and unclenched his fists. "Yeah… okay."

"Oh, and Jack?" Maylene added, flashing him a reassuring smile. "Don't forget the most important word. Yet."

Jack let out a short laugh, although to be fair it could also have been called a sob. Maylene decided to call it a laugh. A single tear worked its way down Jack's cheek, but he wiped it away with his sleeve.

"Thanks, Maylene," he said, giving her his best attempt at a smile. "Something to eat sounds great."

* * *

Maylene sat in rapt attention as Jack, with a little input from Nova and Razgriz every once in a while, explained what had happened during his time in Saldara. He started with how he'd stumbled into a military checkpoint in the first five minutes after he arrived, and he'd told everything up to the battle at Fort Aaron by the time the food arrived.

The four of them were seated on soft mats on the floor around a low wooden table. They were in a room Jack remembered to be the instructor's lounge. For a place the teachers went to relax, the room was surprisingly bare; spartan even. The hardwood walls were devoid of decoration, and the only furniture in the room was the aforementioned table and mats. A lone window allowed the light of dusk to stream in, and there were several candles lit in preparation for nightfall.

Jack plucked a square of some white substance from the platter on the table and, with only a brief sniff, popped it into his mouth. It was chewy and tasteless, and Jack wondered briefly if that meant it was supposed to be good for him.

Nova and Razgriz were staring at the weird white cubes as well. Neither of the Pokémon seemed interested in the strange food. Both of them selectively went after a tray of shrimp and left everything else alone.

"What is this?" Jack asked once he'd swallowed his mouthful of tasteless putty.

"It's called tofu," Maylene told him in an apologetic tone. "It's supposed to be good for you…"

"I kinda figured as much," Jack deadpanned.

"It's better with the dipping sauce," Maylene replied. "And that over there is eggs and rice."

Jack glanced at the bowl of dark red liquid beside the tofu, and then at the pot of yellowish stuff he hadn't been brave enough to try yet.

"This isn't anything like what they served last time I was here," Jack observed.

Maylene chuckled. "Yup, that's because they always pamper the newbies a little; at least for a while. If you'd stayed much longer, this stuff would've ended up on your plate more and more often until you didn't even notice it any more. The teachers, me included, eat this for almost every meal. Unless I can find a good excuse to go out for junk food, that is."

Jack shrugged. "Well, at least there's shrimp."

Jack reached for the platter of seafood, only to find that there was almost none left. He raised an eyebrow at Nova and Razgriz.

"Not our fault you were to slow to go for the good stuff," Razgriz said as he popped another piece of shrimp into his mouth. Nova simply nodded her head in agreement with a small smirk on her muzzle.

Jack rolled his eyes. "Et tu Brute? Whatever, maybe the rice is good."

He reached for the ladle in the rice pot and scooped a small serving onto his plate. He then picked up his spoon and, silently wondering whether or not to be thankful that they hadn't given him chopsticks instead, took a bite of the rice. It was unsalted, and all he could taste was the eggs; which he doubted had even been cooked. It may not have been the most disgusting thing he'd ever eaten, but it still made him wish for a slice of pizza.

"Yeah, glad I didn't even try that," Nova teased with a satisfied smirk as she ate another piece of shrimp.

Maylene sighed. "Sorry, I should have told them to prepare something a little less… healthy. I didn't even think of it."

Jack shook his head as he swallowed the rice. "It's fine. Anyway, where was I? Oh right, Fort Aaron."

Jack continued recounting his adventures, occasionally taking a bite of tofu; which really was better with the dipping sauce. He skimmed over the bulk of his and Nova's journey, and only gave a brief account of their stay at Axiom; most of which was a mix of character development and filler. Maylene was obviously bursting with questions about the city of Lucarios, but she restrained her curiosity for the time being. Jack chose to simply not mention the mystical auric Core, for several reasons.

Jack went into a little more detail with his account of their meeting with Damocles, although it was mostly for Razgriz's benefit. The hybrid Lucario had been listening intently as well so far, as he had been absent during this part of the story and was interested in the events leading up to his rescue.

Jack explained, more or less, what he'd been thinking at the time and why he'd chosen to trust Damocles. He left out a few of the more personal parts as usual. He told how Damocles had decided to join them, to which Nova added a few details as well, then he skipped straight to the assault on the Alpha base; starting with the plan he'd cooked up.

"Of course though," he commented ruefully, "No plan survives contact with the enemy. Can't remember where I heard that, but..."

" _I believe it was General Ford who told you that,"_ Nova interject telepathically so that Maylene could understand her.

Jack nodded. "Yeah, that sounds about right. Anyway, he was right. Things went well at first; Damocles busted in and started tearing stuff up, and we snuck in undetected behind him. We took down anything that got in our way until we reached the R&D lab. Once there we interrogated the head scientist and found my Pack, but it was empty."

"Was your team being held somewhere else?" Maylene asked, although she had a sneaking suspicion that the reality was much worse.

Jack shook his head. "The pack was empty by the time Alpha got their hands on it. The way I see it, that only leaves one other person who could possibly have them. The one who helped those soldiers ambush me in the first place."

Maylene gritted her teeth. "Hunter J."

Jack nodded. "Yup. Don't worry though, Razgriz here has given me an excellent idea on how to catch her."

"Good," Maylene replied grimly. "I've run across Hunter J before, and she's a nasty piece of work. I wouldn't want her anywhere near my Pokémon…"

Jack grimaced. The icicle in his chest was back, colder than ever.

Maylene's expression flooded with guilt. "Oh no, I'm so sorry Jack. That was stupid of me…"

Jack shook his head again. "It's fine. Anyway, once we realized my Pokémon weren't there we headed back to give Damocles some backup."

Jack gave a brief description of the battle between him and Nova, and the four hybrids including Razgriz. He didn't say anything about his strange memories, partially because only a tiny, scattered handful still remained; but mostly because he still had no idea what was going on, and he didn't want to say too much about it until he did.

"Then I… blacked out," he finished. "The last thing I remember is the snake hybrid closing in on me… and after that nothing, until I woke up to Razgriz being free; and kinda awesome and protecting us and stuff, honestly that part's a little blurry too. According to Nova, some pretty weird stuff happened in between."

" _Yeah… weird sounds about right,"_ Nova said after Jack finished.

"Hang on a second," Maylene interjected. "Razgriz… I remember that name, it was all over the news. The Demon of Razgriz… you're him, aren't you. You're the one who attacked all those cities," she said, addressing Razgriz.

Razgriz let out a sigh as he closed his eyes, his head dropping slightly. After a few seconds, he glanced over at Nova and nodded his head. She then dropped the illusion surrounding him, revealing his natural appearance.

" _Yes… That was me, though it was not done of my own free will,"_ Razgriz replied.

"Yeah, the mind control," Maylene replied thoughtfully, as Jack had already explained that part.

"Like I said," Jack stated, "Razgriz had no control over his actions."

Maylene nodded. "Right… okay then, if you say so. I guess that does explain a lot, like how he was powerful enough to go toe to toe with you Jack."

The corners of Jack's mouth curled upwards in a sheepish grin. "Yeah… let's not talk about that too much. I like the fabric of reality the way it is."

Maylene raised an eyebrow quizzically. "What?"

"Never mind," Jack replied. "Anyway, after we freed Razgriz from Alpha's mind control…"

"Hold on," Maylene cut him off. "How did you free him?"

Jack shrugged. "That's part of the blank space in my memories. If you really want to know what happened, ask Nova."

Maylene glanced over expectantly at the blue-maned Zoroark.

" _Well… as I said earlier, it was weird… even my memory is a little fuzzy about it,"_ Nova responded, partially lying as to protect Jack. She could tell that he didn't want Maylene to know about that part of the story. Jack flashed her a grateful smile.

"Okay then," Maylene replied with a small shrug. "So what happened next then?"

"Razgriz opened a portal which we used to escape the base," Jack continued. "Then…" he paused for a second, glancing over at Razgriz. "We went back to Nova and Razgriz's home and rested for a while."

Jack figured that the hybrid Lucario didn't want to discuss the fate of the Alpha base any more than Jack wanted to discuss his blackout. Although that may have just been Jack projecting a little bit.

Jack briefly went over their debriefing with General Ford, and skimmed over the ship ride back to Sinnoh. He could barely bring himself to discuss the Alpha sneak attack, so once again he kept things vague.

"When we finally landed in Canalave city" he finished, "We came straight here. I figured you'd want to hear the whole story."

"Darn right I did," Maylene affirmed with a smirk. "So, what are you planning to do now? You said you had a plan to catch J?"

Jack nodded. "Yeah, but it's a plan that involves a lot of waiting around to see if she takes the bait."

"What do you mean by bait?" Maylene asked, furrowing her brow.

" _Well, you are looking at one of the rarest Pokémon in the world,"_ Razgriz said with a slight smirk.

Maylene's eyes widened. "You're not saying…"

Jack nodded. "Yeah, Razgriz has volunteered to serve as the bait in our trap."

"But won't that be dangerous?" Maylene asked.

Jack just raised an eyebrow.

" _I have done far more dangerous tasks than being bait for some human,"_ Razgriz countered.

"Yeah," Jack deadpanned, "Trust me, if J does take the bait we're not the ones who'll be in danger."

"Good point," Maylene conceded with a smirk. "Sorry, for a second there I forgot who I was talking to."

"Like I said though," Jack continued, "The plan is going to take a while; especially if J decides to play it cautious, or is on the other side of the region or something. That's if she takes the bait at all. So we may be here a while."

"And yes," Maylene interjected with a wry grin, "You can stay at the dojo. Thanks for asking."

Jack assumed an air of wounded dignity. "I was going to ask…"

Maylene rolled her eyes. "Sure you were. But yeah, you can stay here as long as you like. I'll have someone get a room ready for you. Or… would you rather have a few rooms?"

Jack glanced at Nova and Razgriz. "Two rooms should be fine. Right?"

" _I don't see why it wouldn't be,"_ Nova replied with a shrug.

Maylene nodded. "Okay then. I'll set you up on the second floor probably, somewhere with windows. Follow me."

Maylene got up and headed for the door, with the three guests following behind. She led them up a flight of stairs, then down a few corridors lined with doors. From the nameplates hanging off each door, Jack guessed this was some sort of dormitory. He'd always slept outdoors during his time at the dojo, mostly because his team couldn't all fit into one room with him.

"Here we are," Maylene said as they reached a few doors that didn't have nameplates. "They should be fully furnished already, although around here that basically means a mattress and a couple blankets. If you want anything else, you'll either have to ask for it specifically or buy it yourself in the city."

Jack shrugged. "I'll be fine, I'm used to less than this."

" _We are used to sleeping in a cave, so I think this counts as an upgrade,"_ Razgriz said with a faint smile.

Maylene let out a short laugh and shook her head. "Okay, okay. I get it. Wow, and I thought one Jack was bad enough. I swear, this is like having three in one room."

" _I would like to point out that we are in a hall, not a room,"_ Nova countered with a smirk.

Jack snorted with barely restrained laughter. "I think you just proved her point."

Maylene applied her palm to her forehead. "Yeah, pretty much," she agreed, still smiling despite herself. "Anyway, make yourselves comfortable. If you need me, I'll probably be outside. Try not to blow anything up."

Jack grinned mischievously. "Can't make any promises," he shot after Maylene as she turned and walked back down the hall. The gym leader chose to ignore him.

Jack chuckled as Maylene went out of sight around a corner. "Yeah, she's a lot of fun. She just gets a little stiff around here because everyone expects her to be 'Master Maylene.'"

"Well, the two of you seem to get along well enough," Nova started, looking over at Jack.

Jack's grin shrank by a couple centimeters, and took on a rueful tint. "Yeah. Well I fought her, trained under her for a while, then fought her again. During that time, I guess we got to know each other pretty well."

"Yeah, I would agree to that. Almost sounds like how I got to know Razgriz," Nova continued, shifting her gaze over towards her mate.

Jack held a hand to his forehead, and decisively derailed that train of thought before it could go any further. He was going to have to talk with Maylene privately about a few things, and there were certain things he really, really didn't want to be thinking about when he did.

"Well," Jack said, opening the door directly in front of him and stepping inside, "I call this room. We can reconvene later to discuss the finer detail of operation 'hunt the hunter,' but for right now I really need some rest. Good night."

"Goodnight," both Nova and Razgriz replied before going into their own room.

Jack shut the door behind him, then took a deep breath. He could still feel a ball of ice in the pit of his stomach, and he doubted it would go away until he finally saw his friends again. Still, he couldn't sit around feeling sorry for himself. He had more than one reason for coming to Veilstone.

With a faint whoosh of displaced air, Jack slipped through a crack in the fabric of reality and reappeared outside the dojo. True to her word, Maylene was in the courtyard meditating. She was sitting motionless on a rock beside a mirror-like pond, her breath clearly visible in the cold night air as the late autumn moon shone its pale beams down on her like a spotlight through the scattered clouds. Jack could feel her aura expanding past him, filling the courtyard as she meditated. It was strangely comforting, like being wrapped in a blanket made of happiness.

She felt his presence almost immediately, and wrapped her aura around him in curiosity. Last time they'd met, she had barely been able to sense aura at all. Now though she seemed, if anything, even more adept at it than Jack himself. Jack could see her emotions as though he was reading a book; she was relieved and happy that he'd returned in one piece, but underneath that was a layer of doubts. She was still worried about him.

"I'm fine, you know," he said quietly.

Maylene sighed and turned to face him. "Are you? You don't seem fine."

Jack didn't meet her gaze. "What about you, are you okay? You seem to be pushing the limits of your new abilities already."

Maylene sighed again, but didn't bother calling him out on how he changed the subject. "Well of course I am. I've always wanted to be able to use aura like Lucario can, and now I have the chance to."

Jack nodded. "Yeah, that's pretty much what I expected you to say. You have to be careful though. This power comes with a cost. If you overuse it, it..."

"It'll sap your strength," Maylene interrupted. "Yeah, I figured that out already."

Jack furrowed his brow. "What happened?"

Maylene just shrugged. "I did exactly what you said, I pushed the limits of my abilities and ended up wearing myself out. Nothing to worry about, I just took it easy for a couple days and I was right as rain again."

"Okay then," Jack said. "Just making sure."

Maylene nodded. "That's fine. So," she continued, fixing him with an amber-eyed stare that seemed to look straight through him. "What happened that you don't want to tell me?"

Jack sighed. "Was it that obvious?"

"I can read you like a book, Jack," Maylene told him with a smirk, then her expression softened. "There are some burdens you shouldn't try to carry alone, I learned that a long time ago. If there's anything you want to say, just go ahead and say it."

Jack hanged his head in defeat, and walked over to sit down beside Maylene. He opened his mouth to speak, but the words stuck in his throat. With everything that had happened in Saldara, Jack didn't even know what to think of himself any more. Was he some sort of dangerous monster after all? Would Maylene think that way? What if she...

At that moment, Maylene leaned over and wrapped her arms around him. Once again, Jack was rendered completely speechless. Maylene didn't crush him like before, and the constant pressure was strangely comforting.

"Don't worry," Maylene said softly, reassuringly. "You're my friend, Jack; and I'm yours. No matter what you say, I promise I won't think any less of you."

Jack felt something wet roll down his cheek. "Okay… I'll tell you."

Maylene relinquished her hold on Jack's shoulders and backed up a little to give Jack some space. Jack took a deep breath, and started from the beginning. He explained about the strange dreams and how they felt like old memories, about what Nova said really happened during his blackout at the Alpha base, and about the final Alpha attack on the ship.

By the time he'd finished the story, his tears had all but dried up. Maylene had sat through it all in complete silence, absorbing the information thoughtfully. Jack didn't look at her, her couldn't bear to for fear of what he might see in her eyes. Once again though, he was taken by surprise when Maylene gave him another warm, reassuring hug.

"I don't know what's happening," she admitted, speaking in barely a whisper, "But I know one thing. You're no monster. You'll get to the bottom of this eventually, don't worry. Just please, don't be too hard on yourself."

Jack nodded, one last tear dropping from his chin onto Maylene's shoulder. His voice didn't want to work any more, but he managed to croak out two final words.

"Thank you."

* * *

Jack: Man, is it good to be back!

Me: Never thought I'd say this, but it's good to have you back.

Jack: Wow…

Me: Don't get used to it. It won't last.

Jack: Wouldn't dream of it.

Me: Anyway, how are our honoured guests finding the change of scenery so far?

Razgriz: Seen one building so far that is different, so change is noted.

Nova: The food was different as well….

Me: Don't worry, it'll get better. The food at least. Also, I'll say this right now, if for any reason you feel the need to break the fourth wall, please feel free to do so. Palkia has signed a contractual agreement that forbids him from interfering with the events of this story, either directly or indirectly.

Jack: Then again he didn't exactly know what he was signing until it was already signed.

Me: Hey, isn't that what fine print is for?

Nova: Sounds interesting…

Razgriz: But Osean made us sign agreements before shipping us over here. That and anything you send him gets sent through a fourth wall filter.

Me: …

Jack: He's outsmarted you this time.

Me: Shut up.

Razgriz: the man is an engineer

Me: Yeah yeah, so he's good at math. He also messed up big time concerning a certain missile scene if I remember correctly…

Jack: That never actually made it into the story however, so you have no proof.

Me: I have it recorded. Anyway, that's it for the first chapter of the second arc of this collab. I hope everyone is enjoying it as much as Osean and I are. Trust me though, things are going to pick up quickly from here so prepare for a wild ride that'll take us far beyond anywhere this story has gone before. See you all in the next chapter.


	33. The plan

"Okay," Jack said, his face a mask of determination. "I hereby call this strategy session to order."

It was early morning on the day after Jack, Nova, and Razgriz had arrived at the Veilstone dojo. The guests had already enjoyed a hearty breakfast, which was fortunately catered by a diner in Veilstone City, and they were now sitting around a table in the outdoor courtyard of said diner. Maylene, when she heard they were going out for breakfast, had politely requested to join them.

"What do you mean by strategy?" the gym leader asked. "From what I heard, your plan seems pretty straightforward. You just need to start some rumors about Razgriz being here."

"If you were J, and you heard the name 'Razgriz,'" Jack replied, "Would you go within a hundred miles of wherever he was?"

Maylene blinked. "Good point."

"After the Saldaran war," Jack continued, "Anyone who watches the news is going to have heard about Razgriz, and I'm sad to say that J is smart enough to know when she's out of her league. We have to lure her in, not scare her away."

" _So you need to lure her here without using my name,"_ Razgriz interjected.

Jack nodded. "Precisely. Which is why I need your help, Maylene."

Maylene furrowed her brow in confusion for a moment, then understanding dawned on her face. "I get it, you want me to pretend to have caught Razgriz. Or... not him specifically I guess, but a powerful Lucario."

" _It doesn't even have to be a Lucario,"_ Nova started, " _I could make him look like any Pokémon you want."_

Jack nodded. "True, but he'd still feel like a Lucario under the illusion. Right?"

" _Of course, we have used illusions plenty of times. Mostly to get around cities looking like humans. They don't change anything underneath. If you are worried about attacks, I can make those as well. I have actually fooled a bunch of Pokémon with a fake Earthquake before,"_ Nova explained.

Jack grinned mischievously. "That's actually better than I dared hope for. Depending on how convincing your illusions are, and I have absolutely no doubts about that, my plan should work perfectly. Here's what I was thinking."

* * *

A black-haired trainer approached the gates of the Veilstone City dojo. He was wearing blue jeans, and red and white tee-shirt, and a ball-cap with a Pokéball symbol on the front. His name was Mark, and he hailed from Oreburgh City. The Veilstone Gym was the next milestone on his journey to the Sinnoh League, and he intended to pass with flying colours.

He strode confidently into the building, escorted by one of the dojo's students, and quickly made his way to the arena. Maylene was there waiting for him, eager to face his challenge.

"The battle will be three on three," The referee said. "It will be over when all of one side's Pokémon are unable to continue. Only the challenger is allowed to substitute Pokémon. Ready? Begin!"

Maylene tossed a Pokéball onto the field and, in a flash of light, a Pokémon appeared. It was a Lucario, but its fur was gold where it would normally have been blue; and a pale blue where it would normally have been tan. Its eyes were a piercing blue, like the summer sky.

Mark was taken aback. Maylene had a shiny Lucario? He hadn't heard anything about this. Still, his team were more than strong enough to handle anything the gym leader could throw at him.

"Go, Haunter!" he shouted, releasing the Ghost-type onto the field.

Haunter was the perfect Pokémon to take on a Lucario, as Mark knew perfectly well. Fighting-type moves would be useless, and its Levitate ability would cancel out Bone Rush. Even if this shiny Lucario knew other moves, like Metal Claw, they'd be easy to predict and avoid. In fact, if all went well, Mark's Haunter might even take down Maylene's entire lineup.

Haunter stared down at the shiny Lucario with as much malice as it could muster in an attempt to unnerve the Fighting-type. It didn't work, but it was a valiant effort. Seeing the Lucarios stoic expression remain unchanged, the Ghost-type went to plan 'B' and charged up a powerful Shadow Ball.

Before the Haunter could unleash its attack, the Lucario rushed forwards in blink of an eye. His arms were surrounded in black aura, and three long blades of energy extended from each paw as he closed in with Shadow Claw.

The Haunter desperately fired off its Shadow Ball at the approaching Lucario, but the Aura Pokémon expertly ducked under the attack, popping back up right in front of the floating ghost with an undeniable smirk on his muzzle. In an instant, he swept the Shadow Claws across the body of Haunter, hitting it with a super effective attack. While Mark had hoped his Pokémon would be able to absorb the attack, this was not the case. The Haunter was instantly knocked out from the power behind the attack.

The Lucario calmly dropped its arms back to his side before giving a small bow towards the unconscious Pokémon. Without any other actions, he then turned and started walking back towards Maylene.

Mark stared at his unconscious Pokémon in utter shock, disbelief even. He'd been so sure of himself, and yet this strange Lucario had one-shot his Pokémon without even breaking a sweat. The trainer gritted his teeth as he recalled his Haunter to its Pokéball. It wasn't over until the fat lady sang.

With a defiant shout, Mark sent out his next Pokémon; a Staravia. Also a good matchup against Fighting-types, and Shadow Claw would have no effect on it because it was a Normal-type. Staravia didn't waste any time and launched straight into a Quick Attack, hoping to score a surprise hit and set up for its next attack.

While the flying Pokémon was fast, it was not fast enough. In the time it took to travel the length of the field, the Lucario had raised his right paw and caught the Staravia in a psychic field mere inches from his body. Before Mark could even react, his Pokémon was thrown into the ground with enough force to do substantial damage. The Lucario then leapt into the air, maintaining his psychic grip on the flying Pokémon and pinning it to the gym floor. When he landed on the ground, the arena shook as a large crack split down the field right towards the trapped Staravia as the Lucario unleashed a powerful Earthquake.

Under normal circumstances, the ground based attack would have no effect on the flying type. Since it was pinned to the ground however, and had nowhere to escape to, the attack proved to be particularly devastating. The Starling Pokémon was hit directly by the attack and thrown backwards against the wall of the dojo. When the dust settled, the Staravia was knocked out. Once again, the Lucario bowed towards its defeated opponent before making his way back towards Maylene.

At this point, Mark was in a state of denial. Surely this was some sort of nightmare, brought on by stress. It couldn't be real, could it? Could Maylene's new Pokémon really be that strong?

The trainer recalled his unconscious Staravia with a stunned expression. If it was a dream, then it was a darned realistic one. He knew his third Pokémon wouldn't be able to beat this monster of a Lucario, but his pride wouldn't let him give up without fighting to the last. His team understood his drive, and they'd fight until the bitter end for him without question.

He called out his last Pokémon; his partner, Ivysaur. The large Grass-type stared at Maylene's Lucario with steadfast determination. As soon as the battle started, Ivysaur unleashed a powerful Razor Leaf attack. The Lucario didn't even move as the attack approached him. Instead, he simply closed his eyes. The attack connected, much to Mark's excitement. However, the attack only lasted a few seconds and Mark's enthusiasm died down as the Lucario looked like it had hardly taken a scratch. The Aura Pokémon once again reached out with his right paw as it was engulfed in psychic energy. The large grass type Pokémon was effortlessly lifted into the air, ascending all the way to the ceiling before the Lucario slammed him against the already cracked gym floor. The attack once again dealing enough damage to knock out Mark's Pokémon in a single hit. As with his other two Pokémon, the Lucario bowed towards the defeated Ivysaur.

Mark recalled his final Pokémon, his head hanging low as he finally accepted the truth. He had lost decisively, hilariously outmatched by Maylene's new Lucario. He turned around to leave the arena, the perfect picture of defeat. Beneath his shock of raven-black hair however, hidden by a shadow, his mouth curled upwards in a mischievous grin. The plan was going without a hitch. A few more repetitions scattered throughout the next couple weeks, and the whole country would know about Maylene's shiny Lucario.

Jack, for it was him hidden under Nova's illusion, left the Veilstone dojo in his best impression of a daze. Once he was sure no one could see him, he surreptitiously teleported back to the dojo and Nova allowed the illusion to fade. It was an elaborate ruse, as the entire battle was the product of Nova's light shows, but it had turned out even better than Jack had expected.

The handful of people who had watched the fight from the bleachers would be sure to spread the news about Maylene's shiny Lucario, and how it took down three Pokémon in under five minutes. They would gradually ramp up the fake fights, until eventually Jack would pose as an elite trainer with a much higher-level team. Razgriz would once again rofl-stomp him, and the rumors would go crazy. J would have to be deaf and blind to miss it, and if they played their cards right she'd be unable to resist such a tempting target. Jack was also counting on the fact that, after successfully stealing his Pokémon, J might get a little overconfident.

Jack reappeared in his room at the dojo, and from there went downstairs to find Nova and Razgriz unwinding after the 'battle.' Maylene was there too, pacing back and forth with a thoughtful expression.

"Well," Jack commented. "That went well, I thought. Any problems on your ends Nova? Razgriz?"

" _Aside from being exhausted, I'm good,"_ Nova replied as she plopped down on the floor. Razgriz sat down next to her and ran a paw through her blue mane.

" _You did good,"_ Razgriz said with a faint smile.

Razgriz, for obvious reasons, had not actually been bound to a Pokéball. Even that was just another layer within Nova's complex illusion. Considering everything the Zoroark had done, it was no wonder she needed a rest. Jack had anticipated this, which is why he planned on giving her at least a day to recover before they put on another show.

"Any thoughts, Maylene?" Jack asked, glancing at the gym leader.

Maylene sighed. "I was just wondering, what do I do if someone else comes and challenges my gym? After a while, wouldn't people expect me to keep using Razgriz?"

Jack shrugged. "Let them speculate, it'll just spread the rumors faster."

"So… just go on as usual?" Maylene asked.

Jack nodded in confirmation. "Yup, pretty much. Our next show is going to be in three days. Until then, I propose we kick back and relax. Any objections?"

" _No, none at all!"_ Nova said as she rolled over onto her back, having left her sash and spear in her room. That was when Razgriz moved a bit closer to her and propped her head up against him.

" _I suppose some relaxation would be nice,"_ Razgriz agreed.

Jack grinned. "Alright then. In that case, I'm going to pop into the city and give those rumors a little kick-start. And after that, I'm going to grab some lunch."

Maylene's head snapped around to face Jack. "Can I come?"

Jack's grin grew by a few centimeters. "Nope. Bye."

Maylene made a desperate grab for Jack, but he teleported away before she could reach him. The gym leader groaned, knowing that she'd have to come up with a good excuse if she wanted to go out for lunch; having already gone out for breakfast that morning. After a moment though, she glanced over at Nova and Razgriz as a lightbulb went off in her head.

"Say," she asked the two Pokémon. "How would the two of you like to eat out? It'd be my treat."

" _That would be nice,"_ Razgriz started before looking down at Nova. " _I know she will be particularly hungry after all that work she did."_

" _That is one hundred percent true,"_ Nova said before sitting up. " _Is there some place with fish nearby?"_

Maylene's grin was reminiscent of Jack's. "I know just the place. If anyone asks though, none of this was my idea. Deal?"

* * *

The next week went by quickly and, as is the way of peaceful times, uneventfully. The four of them put on another show three days after the first, then another one only two days after that; seeing as Nova was sure she could handle it. Jack figured that it was a good idea to stagger the performances, so as to avoid falling into a predictable schedule. As such, after the third show he planned to wait a whole five days before putting on another, much to Nova's relief.

His plan worked almost perfectly, and rumors about Maylene's shiny Lucario spread through Veilstone City like wildfire. Jack figured it wouldn't be long before the news spread to other cities, and after that it was just a waiting game until J showed up.

Despite the thrill of seeing his plan working, and the mock battles providing an entertaining diversion, Jack still found himself increasingly agitated as the week wore on. Patience had never been one of his strong suits, and the longer he sat around doing nothing the more restless he became. Then again, who could blame him.

Jack's restlessness came to a head the day before the fourth of their mock battles was scheduled to take place. More specifically, it was the middle of the night. After lying awake for several hours, Jack simply gave up trying to go to sleep. With a sigh of resignation, Jack teleported down to the courtyard; the only sound being the quiet rush of air filling the space he'd just vacated.

Jack sat by the crystal clear pool, his breath freezing in front of him in the cold night air. He didn't mind the cold, in fact he barely felt it. It seemed like such a small thing, to not feel the cold, but it was those little, inexplicable things that made him wonder exactly what he was. The more his abilities developed, the less they resembled those of a Pokémon. But if his power wasn't linked to Pokémon, then where could it possibly have come from? The whole thing just didn't make any sense. Then there were those strange memories, and his blackout, and the voice...

Jack groaned and flopped onto his back, staring up at the crescent moon above. He'd thought about his abilities from every conceivable angle by this point, but every time he thought of a possible explanation something new always came up to shatter it. For the millionth time, Jack resolved to shelve the issue until he had more to go on. He had better things to worry about at the moment, like what to do if J didn't fall for plan A.

It never once crossed Jack's mind that he might never catch Hunter J. He refused to even contemplate it as possible. He would catch her, and he would save his friends. He had absolutely no doubt of that. He didn't allow himself to doubt it. To his mind, it was nothing more than a matter of time.

Suddenly, Jack sat up straight again as an idea crossed his mind. Thinking about how quickly his abilities were growing had reminded him about something he wanted to try. He was back to peak condition by this point, so there was no better time than the present to test the newest weapon in his arsenal.

Jack teleported again, this time to a quiet spot several miles from the dojo. That way he wouldn't disturb anyone with a loud noise. In addition, the chances of anyone interrupting him were that much slimmer. He got the feeling that he'd need as much concentration as he could get to pull off the technique. That, and he wanted to keep this particular ability under wraps for now; in case he ever needed a new trump card.

"Alright," he mumbled to no one in particular, "Let's see if this works."

Jack held out his right hand in front of him and sent a surge of energy into his palm. Tiny sparks arced across his fingertips, illuminating his surroundings with a flickering yellow glow. The trees scattered haphazardly around him cast eerie shadows on the ground, and seemed to lean in to watch Jack as he focused.

Jack could feel the electricity coursing down his arm, building an ever increasing charge in the palm of his hand. Jack took deep, steady breaths as he narrowed his focus until all he could see was his right hand; and the static electrical charge building in it. He could feel every spark, every tiny bit of energy. It was too cramped inside his hand, the charge was trying desperately to jump to something else. Only when he was satisfied with the amount of energy in his hand did Jack finally release the charge.

Jack brought his hands together, and the charge in his right hand was so eager to reach his left that it jumped the last several inches through thin air. The current produced a thick arc of superheated gas, plasma. Jack had done some research on the subject during his stay in Veilstone City, and now he was ready to put his newfound knowledge to use.

With a flick of his mind, Jack grabbed hold of the flow of electricity and tried to bend it to his will. It was like trying to grab a greased eel, but Jack managed it almost without thinking. Like the majority of his abilities, it seemed like all he had to do was think about it happening and it would happen; as though he'd practiced it to the point that it had become a reflex.

Jack could feel the electrical arc writhing in his psychic grip like a snake. The thick cord of energy between his hands was alive, and it hated being forced into an unnatural shape. Even so, under Jack's mental pressure it had no choice but to submit. The boy spread his hands further apart, forcing the electricity to continue along its path despite the distance, until eventually Jack's arms were spread out on either side of him as far as they would go. The cord of energy arced through the air, filling the entire area with the smell of ozone. Jack could feel the strain of the technique already. It was depleting his aura at an alarming rate, but he had quite a while yet before his reserves started getting low.

Going into it, Jack hadn't known what to expect from the technique. The last time he tried it, he had still been recovering from the assault on Alpha's main base and the effort had almost knocked him out. Now that he had the energy to spare though, the technique was surprisingly easy to pull off.

Now that he had what basically amounted to a whip of plasma, Jack's mind practically exploded with ideas on how to use it. He thought about making a sword like he did in the Alpha base, but he already knew how to use a sword; somehow. He still wasn't too sure about that, but oh well. At any rate, it wouldn't be an experiment if he didn't... well, experiment.

Jack glanced at a low branch jutting out from a nearby tree, and suddenly he knew exactly what he had to do. With a flick of his mind, Jack redirected the flow of electricity towards the branch. The current latched onto the protruding limb, although the wood didn't conduct the charge very well. Even so, the white-hot cord of plasma burned clean through the branch in an instant and the piece of wood was sent crashing to the ground.

Jack allowed the current to return to its original path, jumping from one hand to the other, as he surveyed the damage with a strange sense of satisfaction. He didn't know exactly how to explain it, but this new technique felt… right, somehow. It felt like he'd met an old friend again after a long time, and they were catching up on lost time. There was a certain nostalgia to it that made Jack wonder if, once upon a time, this trick had been a favourite of his.

At that point though, Jack decided he'd had enough playing around. This technique was meant to be used in a very specific way, and it wouldn't be right to stop without completing it. Jack focused on the electricity coursing through him and, instead of allowing it to jump to his other hand, he forced the current to crackle through the air for a few feet and then curved it back on itself so it landed in his palm again. It took a lot of focus at first, but after a moment Jack found that he didn't even have to think about it any more. The arc traced a thin line in the air above his hand, and Jack knew somehow that it would continue to do so even in the heat of battle. It would take a blow to the head to break his concentration now.

Jack willed the stream of superheated gas to expand, filling out a larger and larger area until finally it took on a very recognisable shape. Jack felt a chill run down his spine as he looked down at the glowing, golden sword in his hand. The plasma was light, in terms of weight, but what mass it did have was perfectly balanced. The handle extended several inches behind his grip, and would have had a lump of a heavy metal on the pommel for balance if it was real. At this point, he didn't even bother questioning how he knew that.

Jack gave the glowing blade a few swings. It let off a high-pitched crackling whine as it sliced through the air, leaving a trail of shimmering, superheated air in its wake. On a whim, Jack flicked the blade towards another low-hanging branch and lopped it off with barely any effort; the sword slicing clean through solid wood like a hot knife through butter. It cut through so easily in fact, that Jack stumbled forward slightly when the blade didn't meet the resistance he expected.

Jack grinned impishly. Like any boy his age, when presented with a dangerous tool with which he could very easily hurt himself, his first instinct was to see exactly how much fire he could play with before he got burnt. Focusing once again on the stream of electricity, Jack cranked the current up a couple notches.

With the extra energy, Jack expanded the blade of his sword even further. Before long it had grown to the size of a claymore, but Jack wasn't satisfied. He kept pushing it further, making it longer and wider by the second. He only stopped when the blade was almost as long as he was tall, and several inches in width, with the tip sloping sharply toward the back edge at a forty-five degree angle. To balance it out, he also extended the hilt of the sword by more than a foot so that it swung out behind him. He'd seen weapons like this in comic books and video games; a buster sword.

Jack gave his new and improved weapon an enthusiastic swing. It was definitely weighted toward the blade, but it still only weighed about as much as a good sized stick and Jack had no trouble swinging the enormous blade around with one hand. It was an impractical weapon, his instincts assured him of that. Still, there was something strangely fun about swinging around a blade almost as big as himself. With an exaggerated spin that would've been a very bad idea in a real fight, Jack swung his sword toward the trunk of a nearby tree. The blade sheared through it with almost contemptuous ease.

Jack watched as the massive tree slid, and then toppled to the ground with a crash that probably woke the entire forest. He heard birds take off in flocks, probably startled half out of their wits by the commotion.

Jack blinked. "Whoops…" he mumbled sheepishly, allowing his gigantic sword to fade into nothing. "Guess I got a little carried away."

Jack took a moment to check his aura pool, and decided that there was no point letting it dip any lower. He still had plenty left, but if J decided to attack he wanted to have energy to burn. Nova and Razgriz could almost certainly handle J on their own, but Jack had no intention of letting them have all the fun. J was his to take down, and his alone.

* * *

Three days passed. Jack snuck out every night to practise with his new favourite toy, but he was always careful to leave himself within a few hours' sleep of being in peak condition. The fourth mock battle went as smoothly as its predecessors, and the crowds couldn't get enough of it. The next battle, Jack decided, would be the climactic one in which he would play the part of a veteran trainer. After that, it would be back to business as usual for a while. If J was going to make an appearance, she would probably do so soon.

Jack woke up early. It was the day for which he'd scheduled the climactic showing of Maylene's shiny Lucario, and Jack wanted to get in a little practice with his plasma sword before breakfast. He was really taken with the technique by this point, although he wasn't sure whether he would ever actually use it in a fight because of how deadly it was.

Jack was about to teleport away to his quiet place in the woods, a place that was now covered with burn marks, but something stopped him in his tracks. He could sense something approaching from the south, a malevolent hunger the likes of which he'd only felt twice before.

Jack tossed a mental probe at Nova and Razgriz, sending them one thought. His emotions swirled inside him like a tempest, each one clawing viciously to be on top. It was hardly a contest though, anger won out easily; a righteous fury, spurring him on to free his friends.

" _J is here."_


	34. The Wicked Witch of the West

Jack ran out of the dojo like a blue lightning bolt, intent on nothing but finding J and taking his friends back. J's presence was easy to track, she practically radiated evil. Jack closed in on her location, having abandoned all thoughts of complex and subtle strategies in favour of a reckless frontal assault.

" _J is mine, understand?"_ Jack told Nova and Razgriz, despite the fact that he had no intention of waiting for them. " _The two of you can focus on boarding and disabling her airship, but leave J to me."_

" _Jack, don't you think you should wait so we can go in together?"_ Nova replied as she and Razgriz made their way out of the dojo as well.

Jack would've replied, most likely with a grudging acknowledgment that she was right while having no intention of actually doing what she said, but his response was cut short as a bolt of brown liquid shot out of nowhere and almost nailed him in the chest. It would've been a direct hit, but Jack blinked out of existence just before the projectile connected.

Jack reappeared only a few feet from his initial position and quickly glanced upwards. The sky was clear, with only a handful of clouds obscuring the morning sunlight. Jack gritted his teeth, J's ship was still completely invisible to him; it wasn't even making any noticeable noise. Then again though, that didn't mean it was undetectable.

Jack cast out his mind into the sky, scanning in all directions. Almost immediately he found a group of human auras which seemed to be floating in midair.

" _Jackpot,"_ Jack thought wryly to himself, a sinister grin spreading across his face.

Jack could sense Nova and Razgriz approaching, but aside from them the area was devoid of life. Jack had intercepted J before she could get within a few miles of Veilstone City, or the dojo, and all the Pokémon in the immediate vicinity seemed to have fled already. Although whether it was because of J or Jack himself was anyone's guess.

Jack stretched the tendons in his neck until they popped, then looked up at the empty sky where he knew J's ship was hiding. The rational part of his mind knew that he should wait for Nova and Razgriz to show up, but he chose to ignore it. He couldn't wait any longer, not when his friends were so close.

Jack conjured a white-hot, tennis-ball sized sphere of flames in his hand and, being careful not to set any nearby trees on fire, he flicked it up into the air towards the invisible ship. The bolt of fire shot upwards as though it had been fired out of a gun, exploding midair in a shower of sparks and smoke after apparently hitting nothing. Once the smoke had cleared though, Jack could see a floating panel of smoking metal where his projectile had knocked out some of the ship's cloaking mechanisms. After a few seconds, the rest of the ship shimmered into view as though the curtain concealing it had been dropped.

Jack narrowed his eyes slightly and set his jaw. J had nowhere to hide now, her only choice was to fight. Jack's hunch was proven correct, as a bolt of crimson energy shot from the underside of the ship directly at him. Not feeling like getting blasted into pieces, Jack teleported away as the blast tore up the ground where he'd been standing; leaving a smoking crater in the earth.

"What's the matter, J?" Jack called out mockingly at the top of his lungs as he reappeared. "Hiding inside that ship of yours like a coward. Are you afraid to fight me yourself?!"

His taunts didn't seem to have any effect, but then again he didn't really expect them to. Now that she knew he was here, J wouldn't be showing her face any time soon. Which meant, of course, that Jack would just have to come to her. Before he did that however, he sent one last message to Nova and Razgriz; who had almost reached him.

" _I'm going into the airship,"_ he told them. " _Feel free to join me when you get here. And watch out, the ship has guns. Big ones."_

" _Jack! Seriously! Wait for us!"_ Nova sent back, her voice practically pleading with him.

" _You don't want to rush off by yourself like this,"_ Razgriz added in.

Jack gritted his teeth. He knew they were right, but he didn't care.

" _Sorry,"_ he replied, " _But I can't wait another second."_

With that, he disappeared just as another blast bore down on him. When he popped back into existence, he was in a large room with metal crates of various sizes stacked everywhere. Jack had a sneaking suspicion as to what was in the crates. The thought that his friends might have endured such treatment was even more fuel on his anger, which was already blazing like a bonfire.

"So, it's you again," came a chillingly familiar voice from behind him.

Jack spun on his heel and, without so much as a moment's hesitation, fired a sizzling bolt of electricity at the voice. His eyes followed the bolt until, halfway to its target, it was intercepted by a blast of crimson light. From there his gaze continued until at last he saw the person he had come here to hunt.

"Nice try," J smirked, pointing which looked like a handgun at him. "But you won't beat me so easily this time."

Jack's vision narrowed until all he could see was himself, and J. Nothing else mattered, unless it was directly between them.

"Do you like my collection," J continued nonchalantly, the ghost of a grin on her face as she gestured to the crates around her. "All of these fine specimens are completely unique, for one reason or another. They'll fetch a pretty price on the black market. Of course, none of them can hold a candle to the ones you donated."

Jack saw red. J was intentionally baiting him, and one small part of his mind knew that. The rest of him, however, could think about nothing except beating this sadistic monster to a pulp. Every instinct he possessed was screaming that something was wrong, but he ignored it. He was completely focused on one thing, and one thing alone. J didn't stand a chance.

Jack launched himself at the Pokémon hunter like a bolt of blue lightning, planning to send her flying with the sheer force of his charge. To his surprise however, his shoulder met empty air. Jack felt something hard hit him in the back, and he stumbled forward as he struggled to compensate for his momentum. Jack spun around to look for J, and he was met with a steel-grey blur rushing towards his face.

Jack teleported away just in time, and reappeared on the other side of the room breathing heavily. He could see J, nothing but a few meters and a dozen metal crates between them, but he could barely comprehend what he saw. Protruding from the sleeves of her dark purple trenchcoat were two short, wide, steel knives. They covered the backs of her hands and extended several inches past the tips of her fingers. Jack suddenly became acutely aware of a sharp pain on his back, where one of those blades had slashed him hard enough to lacerate his skin. Jack had no doubt that if it weren't for his indestructible robes, J would've gutted him like a fish. And if he'd teleported away a split second later…

J smirked maliciously at him from across the room, enjoying the fear that had crept into his expression. "Oh, is that all? Here I was expecting you to put up a little more of a fight, or don't you want to rescue your 'friends'?"

Jack forced himself to hold his ground. Rushing in blindly a second time would be suicide, as his instincts told him J would aim for his unprotected neck next. Like a scenario out of his worst nightmares, J seemed to have developed almost superhuman agility and strength. She had not only avoided his blind rush with contemptuous ease, but also landed a solid blow to his back while doing so. To be perfectly honest, the thought of J having superhuman abilities frightened Jack more than an entire room full of Alpha hybrids had. That fear probably saved his life; he wouldn't underestimate J again.

Jack quickly looked J up and down. The Pokémon hunter wasn't wearing her usual hand cannon, which meant she didn't intend to take him alive. She still had her visor though, which was probably packed full of advanced technology; not to mention it kept Jack from being able to tell where she was looking. J had clipped her new gun to her belt, leaving both her hands free. She probably planned on taking him on at close quarters, unless she had some other trick up her sleeves.

Suddenly, the open doorway behind J resonated with a distant explosion and Jack's eyes instinctively flicked towards the sound. He could only assume that Nova and Razgriz had boarded the ship as well and were generally wreaking havok. Jack moved his gaze back to J almost immediately, but 'almost' was too late.

In one smooth motion, J raised her right arm and threw something across the room. Jack dodged to the right as a steel dart whizzed by his ear and embedded itself in the wall behind him.

"Let's take this outside," J commented, smirking maliciously as though the dart had struck home. "Wouldn't want your friends interfering, now would we?"

Jack had just enough time to realize that J was up to something, then the floor dropped out from underneath him. As Jack fell out of the cargo bay door, for that was what he'd been standing on, he glanced behind him to see J's dart embedded in what he assumed was the door's control box.

" _No more underestimating J, huh?"_ Jack thought ruefully as he fell into thin air from several hundred feet. " _Well, bang goes that plan."_

Jack telekinetically flicked his body upwards several times, enough to slowly cancel his downward momentum. He was about to flick himself back up into the ship, but then he heard a crackling sizzle of plasma from above him. He managed to flick himself to the side in time to avoid the bolt of crimson energy, but it sent him into another uncontrolled fall as he spun every which way in mid-air trying desperately to figure out which way was up.

Jack crashed to the ground, landing on his feet more by luck than anything else, and immediately launched himself backwards. Sure enough, another bolt blackened the ground where he'd been standing. Looking up at the ship, Jack flicked a blast of flames up into the air towards the open bay door. A second before the fire bolt reached its target, Jack saw something drop from the cargo bay. He would've bet any money that the 'something' was J.

Jack fired several bolts of lightning into the air to intercept J, but it was like trying to shoot a fly with a musket. J kept darting from side to side in mid-air as though she had some sort of propulsion system. Unable to shoot her down, Jack kept his eyes locked onto J as she landed on her feet only a few meters away from him. The cloud of dust she raised on impact obscured her movements and, when she launched herself straight at him as though she'd only fallen a few feet, Jack only saw her coming thanks to his aura vision.

Jack decided to stop beating around the bush, and pulled a trick out of J's book. As the Pokémon Hunter closed in on him, Jack launched himself into the air. J saw the manoeuvre coming and jumped up to intercept him, but her arm-blade was met by a golden rod of plasma. The impact of their blades colliding sent Jack spinning midair, and he used the circular motion to swing his glowing sword down at J from above.

J crossed her blades above her head just in time to catch Jack's sword, and the force of the blow sent her back down to earth like a meteorite. Jack flicked himself down at J, who had once again landed on her feet, and prepared to bring his sword down on J's head. Seeing him coming in for another aerial strike, J drew her handgun and fired a bolt of plasma point blank at Jack's chest.

Jack, anticipating a counter-attack, had already prepared to evade it. With a crackle of electricity he disappeared, and then rematerialized behind J but travelling in the opposite direction. Before J realized what he'd done, Jack brought his sword down on J's right arm just below the shoulder. The glowing blade seared its way a good few centimeters into the limb, but then it stopped.

Jack was stunned for a moment, giving J time to twist around and attempt to stab Jack in the gut with her arm blades. Jack barely teleported away in time, warping a good several meters from the Pokémon Hunter. His breathing and heart rate both spiked as panic set in. His blade had done almost nothing to J. What exactly was she?

J surveyed the charred hole in the sleeve of her trenchcoat as though there was a stain on it.

"You've wounded me," J commented dryly. If she felt any pain, she didn't show it. "I can see I'll have to stop holding back."

With that, J began unbuttoning her trenchcoat to reveal a black and red jumpsuit beneath. As she allowed the coat to fall from her shoulders however, Jack noticed that the sleeves of the jumpsuit seemed to go all the way down to her gloved hands. Jack furrowed his brow as he suddenly noticed something. J's arms were free of any kind of mechanical apparatus, so where were her arm blades coming from?

Jack studied the blades as closely as he could at that distance, but he couldn't see anything holding the blades on. It looked almost like… like they were actually extending from her arms themselves. Jack's breath caught in his throat at he realized that J's jumpsuit stopped at her shoulders; her arms had simply been painted. They were made of metal.

Jack couldn't believe what he was seeing. J chuckled; a low, sinister laugh full of hatred. It sent chills down Jack's spine.

"You see?" J said, spreading her arms wide with her palms open. "You see what the accursed Lake Trio did to me when they sank my ship into Lake Valor? When I floated to shore, my body was so mangled I had to put myself into suspended animation just to stay alive long enough to get medical help. My limbs were beyond repair, so I had a new set made to my own specification; in addition to various other… modifications to what was left of my body. It cost me an arm and a leg," J commented bitterly, smirking at her own dark humour, "But being able to defeat you was more than worth the cost."

Jack was still struggling to comprehend the information flooding his mind, but amidst the chaos in his head he managed to pull one thought together.

"You… you knew I was here."

J chuckled again. "Of course I knew. You dropped off the map for months, then suddenly showed up back in Veilstone City. The news spread like wildfire. I'm guessing Maylene's new Lucario was your pathetic attempt to draw me out, am I right?"

Jack furrowed his brow. "If you knew it was a trap, why did you come?"

J's smirk grew by several terrifying centimeters. "Because you're not the only one who wants revenge. Don't get me wrong, stealing your Pokémon right out from under your nose was immensely satisfying, but it didn't break your spirit as I'd anticipated. This so-called 'trap' of yours is proof of that. I want to see you broken at my feet, reduced to pleading for mercy as you forced me to plead all those months ago. Maybe I'll even let you live afterwards to wallow in your helplessness. Then once I'm done with you, I will exact my ultimate revenge on the legendaries who took my arms and legs. They'll wish they'd destroyed me properly when they had the chance!"

Jack could feel hatred radiating off of J, but there was a strange… 'wrongness' to it. He couldn't describe it exactly, but J's emotions felt muddled and murky; like nothing he'd ever seen before. The waves of these dirty emotions rolling off of J made the hairs on the back of Jack's neck stand on end. Jack didn't know it at the time, but that feeling was madness. J's pain and rage had driven her insane. If anything, this made her even more dangerous.

What Jack did know, on the other hand, was that if J really had been holding back until now then he'd have to kick it into high gear as well. While J monologued Jack took the opportunity to send tendrils of power into the sky, gathering a bank of dark stormclouds overhead; a thunderstorm waiting to happen. By the time J finished speaking, the energy packed into the clouds was extremely eager to be released and Jack was happy to oblige.

"I already wish they had," Jack commented grimly.

J was about to respond, but Jack suddenly lunged forward and lashed out with his sword at her midsection. He closed the distance between them in less than a second, but J was faster. Circuit-like patterns that coiled around her arms and legs glowed a sinister purple as she moved with inhuman speed, swinging one of her arm blades up to intercept Jack's sword. With almost contemptuous ease she knocked his attack aside with one hand and, in the same motion, sent her other blade into Jack's stomach.

Just before J's blade connected however, there was a burst of searing heat, blinding light, and deafening sound. Any normal human would have had their eardrums shattered, and then been seared to a crisp, but neither Jack or J were normal humans. As it was the lightning bolt partially melted the ground at Jack's feet, and flung J backwards like a ragdoll. The Pokémon hunter landed on her feet and, seeming completely unfazed, immediately drew her pistol and fired off a shot at Jack who was standing still where the lightning bolt struck.

Jack moved so quickly he left a slight after-image in his wake, along with a trail of golden sparks. He dodged the bolt from J's gun effortlessly, and then closed the distance between them in the blink of an eye. He swept his sword at J in a backhand stroke, and J just barely managed to raise her right arm in time to block it. A shower of sparks flew into the air as Jack's blade crossed J's, but neither of them took the time to notice.

Jack didn't so much as hesitate as his first strike failed, and instead merely allowed his body to transition flawlessly into the next attack. His focus narrowed to include only J, himself, and anything that could give him an advantage. If J gave him even one opening, he'd strike at it without hesitation. He couldn't afford to lose this fight.

Jack kept up the pressure on J, launching long, complicated strings of attacks that seemed to come from every direction at once. His sword was a glowing arc that cleaved the air itself in two, rising and falling several times a second in a sharp staccato rhythm and leaving a blur of light in its wake. No matter how many times Jack struck however, J never failed to intercept his blows with one of her arm-blades. It was as though Jack was striking at a solid dome that defied his every effort to find a crack. J matched him blow for blow and, any time Jack let up for even a split second, she launched attacks of her own to try and force him onto the defensive.

The stalemate lasted for over a minute, although it seemed to stretch on for an eternity. All that could be seen with the naked eye was flashes of gold and purple, and showers of red-hot sparks that flew in all directions. Every time one of them seemed to gain ground, the other would always win it back the very next second. Jack had longer reach and slightly faster reflexes, but J's double blades easily nullified those advantages. In terms of speed and strength, they were almost perfectly matched.

There was one thing that separated them, however. Jack was flesh and blood, but J's arms and legs felt no pain or fatigue. Even when Jack's lungs were heaving for air, J was barely breathing heavily. This was what eventually broke the stalemate, as Jack eventually began to slow down. His reaction time increased, and his strikes began to come at longer intervals.

As soon as she realized that Jack had reached his limit, J used the opening to completely change her stance. She switched from defense to offense in a heartbeat, and Jack suddenly found himself struggling to keep up with the flurry of blows J rained upon him. Her shorter reach meant she couldn't actually land a blow without leaving herself wide open to a counter-attack, so she bided her time and wore Jack's stamina down gradually until, eventually, he made a mistake.

In a desperate bid to retake the initiative of the fight, Jack overextended himself just a little too far. He lashed out with a simple stab to J's left shoulder, but the Pokémon hunter deflected the blow and allowed it to pass harmlessly by her head. Jack stumbled forward a half-step before regaining his balance, but he was too slow. J jabbed her right blade into his gut, knocking the wind clean out of him even if it didn't penetrate through his robes. Then, before Jack could catch his breath, J brought her left blade down towards his unprotected neck.

Time seemed to freeze for Jack. This was how he was going to die, in a vain attempt to save his friends. The thought of them at J's mercy turned his blood to ice, then into liquid fire as anger flooded his mind. It couldn't end like this, he wouldn't let it. He would rescue his friends, and anything foolish enough to get in his way would soon regret it. Jack sensed the sharp blade about to hit his neck and, pouring all the power he could muster into one thought, he willed the blade to stop.

It was at this moment that Jack realized he could move his body again. He looked up to see J still seemingly frozen in place, but she seemed to be struggling against some invisible force. Jack slowly backed away from the Pokémon hunter, and took a moment to survey his handiwork. J was standing stock still, but Jack could hear her mechanical limbs straining themselves trying to move. Her entire body was being held in place by powerful tendrils of telekinetic energy that wrapped around J like chains.

Then one of the chains around J's right arm snapped, and she immediately drew the limb back to throw something. Jack felt a mix of anger and panic explode inside him, and he directed the energy into J's shoulder at the joint. With the sound of wires snapping and metal being twisted out of shape, J's right arm seemed to explode off her shoulder leaving a sparking metal socket where the joint had connected. J cried out as her right arm was ripped away, but Jack suspected it was more from shock than actual pain.

J glanced down at her mangled bionic shoulder, then fixed her gaze on Jack again with a look that spoke of a fury comparable to Jack's own. Any sane person would have admitted defeat then and there, but J's fragile mind wouldn't allow her to accept another loss at Jack's hands; she literally couldn't even consider the possibility. If looks could kill, Jack would've been dead where he stood.

"You little brat," she snarled, "Let me go this instant."

Jack could've almost laughed, but he wasn't in the mood. As it was, his scowl grew more pronounced. "You're in no position to be making demands, J. If you move so much as a finger, I'll tear it off."

J chuckled maliciously. "Don't try and bluff me, kid. You can't hold me here forever. And as soon as you run out of energy, I'll kill you."

Jack set his jaw. "I don't have to hold you forever."

J grinned. "Oh, what are you going to do then? Kill me? Nice try kid, but I think we both know you don't have the stomach for that."

"Would you bet your life on that?" Jack replied coldly, looking J in the eye. With how much pain and suffering the Pokémon hunter had caused, if it came down to it Jack honestly wasn't sure what he'd do. If he did kill her, Jack knew he wouldn't lose any sleep over it; and at any other time that knowledge would have disgusted him.

However, Jack's steel-cold stare sent a sliver of doubt worming its way into J's demented mind. Jack could see it in her eyes, she was starting to realize that she was at his mercy. Jack could also feel his energy reserves starting to run low. If J tried to break free again, he might not be able to stop her. He needed to end this.

Fortunately, at that moment Jack heard the loud hum of engines from above them. J's ship had stopped hovering, and it was descending slowly. From J's expression Jack guessed this was not according to her plan, which meant that Nova and Razgriz had succeeded in taking the ship.

Jack grinned. "Like I said, I don't have to hold you forever. My allies have already taken control of your ship, it's only a matter of time before they arrive to back me up. You've lost, J; just accept it. You're going to be turned over to the authorities, and I'll take my friends back."

J paused for a moment, then she looked Jack in the eye with a smile of such unbridled malice that it sent chills down Jack's spine.

"Your... friends?" she said, her voice dripping with sadistic glee. "The ones you smuggled yourself into Saldara, and got yourself caught up in a war, in a vain attempt to rescue? The ones you'd give anything to save, including your own life? The ones I stole right out from under your cocky nose?"

Jack felt a bead of sweat roll down his forehead, even while his blood was slowly turning to ice in his veins. J's next words would not be good news, of that he was certain. Not trusting himself to speak, all Jack could do was nod slowly.

J's malicious grin widened by several centimeters. "I sold them. They're halfway across the world by now."

Even though he was expecting it, J's words hit Jack like a hammer blow. He felt the blood drain from his face, and for one brief moment his mind ground to a halt completely; unable, or unwilling, to fully process the statement. He had no doubt that it was true, the look of cruel joy in J's eyes convinced him of that.

The next thing Jack knew, J had halved the distance between them. In Jack's brief lapse of concentration, J had shattered his psychic shackles like so much glass. She lunged at Jack, her remaining arm drawn back for a blow to his midriff. Jack felt fear like a river of ice flowing through him and, acting on instinct more than anything else, he forced that bone-chilling cold out from his body into the air around him.

J's headlong rush was met with a blast of super-cooled water that froze around her instantly, encasing her entire body up to her neck in a slab of solid ice that sprayed out behind her like crystalline porcupine quills; although if the sudden cold affected her, she didn't show it. J struggled against the icy prison, and tiny cracks started to form around her remaining arm. Knowing that the ice wouldn't hold J for long, and desperate to end things once and for all, Jack hastily flung out his mind like a spear at J.

The Pokémon hunter's mental defenses were like so much rice paper in the face of Jack's psychic assault. Whatever else she was, J didn't have any psychic abilities and Jack blasted his way into her mind with ease. No sooner had he breached her defenses however than he was almost swept off his feet. J's mind was like a tornado of emotions that battered at Jack from every direction, and he was hard pressed to stay anchored. It was especially hard to avoid getting swept up, because the most prevalent emotion in J's mind was a blind rage that clawed viciously at Jack's mind.

Jack could've destroyed J right then and there. He could've torn her mind to shreds, and part of him desperately wanted to. He wanted J to pay for what she'd done. Still, something about the way J's emotions were flying around made Jack curious. He could sense something at the center of J's mind, a cold, hard ball of emotion around which all the others were circling. Almost as if they were protecting it, or… containing it.

Spurred on by curiosity, Jack fought through the whirlwind of J's emotions toward the center. J's mind pushed back against him more and more strongly as he went on, but it couldn't stop him. Then, with one final push, Jack breached the last barrier in his way; and his mind was suddenly flooded by a pain so intense that he almost blacked out. Someone screamed in agony. It might have been him.

Then, the pain ebbed momentarily. In that one instant of relief, Jack threw up a powerful ward around his mind; and just in time, as another wave of pain soon washed over him. Jack could feel it even through his ward. It was a pain the likes of which he'd never felt before, as though his entire body was burning from the inside out.

The pain continued to come and go in regular pulses, and Jack winced at each one. He knew what this was, it was the pain J had felt at Lake Valor when her body had been all but destroyed. From the center of J's mind, Jack could read her memories like an open book. When J had put herself into suspended animation, she wasn't thinking about keeping herself alive until she could get medical attention; she'd done it in a desperate attempt to stop the pain, and she hadn't wanted to be revived. Even after her doctor, a scientist by the name of Yana, had repaired her body to the best of his abilities the pain didn't subside; J's internal injuries were too severe. Ever since then, J had to be on painkillers constantly; and even then the pain didn't go away completely.

Flipping through J's memories, Jack couldn't find a single one that wasn't bitter with pain. Jack couldn't even imagine what that pain must have done to her, but he didn't have to. He only had to look around him at the vortex of emotions surrounding him; keeping the pain in, bottling it up so that it wouldn't paralyze her.

Jack tried to hate J. He tried to convince himself that she deserved to die. He couldn't do it. J had done terrible, horrible things, but at that moment Jack felt nothing for her but pity. He had barely endured that pain for two seconds, J had lived with it for months now and it had all but shattered her mind. All the rage swirling around in her head was a buffer against the pain, to keep it from overwhelming her. It was the only anesthetic that worked, and it was all that had kept her from breaking down a long time ago.

Jack couldn't bring himself to stay inside J's mind any longer. He quickly sifted through her memories until he found a specific one, then he withdrew back into his own mind. All told, barely ten seconds had passed. J was unconscious in front of him, still trapped up to her neck in solid ice. She likely wouldn't wake up for several hours, Jack hadn't been particularly gentle about breaking into her mind.

With a snap of Jack's fingers, the ice surrounding J shattered into dust and the Pokémon hunter collapsed to the ground. The Veilstone City Police Department would already be on their way, and she'd be in a cell long before she woke up. With a sigh, Jack turned towards where J's airship had landed and started walking.

 _She's just going to come after you again._

Jack set his jaw. " _Then I'll defeat her again."_

 _...You're not going to change your mind, are you._

" _No, I'm not."_

 _You know, for someone in her condition… a painless death might be considered merciful._

Jack froze in his tracks. He couldn't bring himself to look back at J, lying on the ground. It was true, as soon as J woke up she'd be in pain again. She'd have to go back to sedating herself just to get to sleep. And even with all his skill at healing, complex internal injuries were beyond what Jack could fix. Even so…

" _Human life is sacred,"_ Jack thought to himself, setting his jaw. " _It doesn't belong to us, it's a gift from God. And no one but God has the right to decide when it starts or ends."_

Jack didn't move for several seconds. Everything seemed to have gone deathly quiet all of a sudden, and Jack was acutely aware of his own racing heartbeat.

 _You know what… I'll let you have this one. I know you took the ship thing pretty hard, and I'm sorry about taking over like that. But still, you need to learn that mercy is a luxury you won't always be able to afford. That saintly optimism of yours is going to get you killed some day._

" _If that day ever comes…"_

 _I'll say I told you so._

" _Deal."_

Satisfied that he'd made the right choice, Jack walked deliberately away from J's unconscious form. He could see the airship in the distance, and he made his way towards it at a fair pace; although not with any undue haste. Why should he rush? After all, his friends weren't on the ship.

Jack gritted his teeth and forced that thought to the back of his mind. Time enough later to focus on that. He was having enough trouble keeping himself together as it was, without thinking about where his Pokémon really were. He'd pulled the memory straight out of J's mind just before he left. She really had sold them halfway across the world.

As Jack approached the landed airship, the first thing he noticed was the large hole in the cockpit's windshield. Jack allowed himself a rueful chuckle at that. Apparently Nova and Razgriz had a little fun with their side of the plan.

Jack walked up the the ship, and quickly locked onto Razgriz's aura signature. He wasn't keen on teleporting inside though, for fear of ending up halfway inside a wall another person or something. So, instead of teleporting he telekinetically flicked himself up and into the hole in the cockpit.

Landing carefully to avoid stepping on any glass, Jack surveyed the scene inside the command center of the airship. Nova and Razgriz were sitting at the back of the bridge watching over the crew that was still present. A few other guards had tried to force their way into the cockpit as they waited on the ground, but at this point they were too disorganized to retake the bridge. The two of them looked up at Jack as he lept through the glass.

"How did things go on your end?" Razgriz inquired.

Jack shrugged dismissively. "As well as can reasonably be expected. J should wake up in a cell in a few hours. How'd it go for you?"

"Well, I think you could take a guess at that. You told us to get the ship on the ground, and here it is," Razgriz replied as he gestured towards the ship.

Jack nodded, his expression unreadable. "Well, there is that. In that case, good job. Sorry for going AWOL on you, it… it was just something I wanted to do alone. I know it was dumb of me, but thanks for having my back. I really appreciate everything both of you have done to help me out."

"Don't mention it… I am well aware how… controlling emotions can become around those considered to be family," Razgriz responded, his voice dropping ever so slightly.

Jack raised an eyebrow, but decided not to comment. "Anyway, the authorities should be here any time now to clean up the mess. Need any help holding down the fort until they arrive?"

"I think I got these guys under control. A thorough thrashing followed by brute intimidation usually gets the job done," Razgriz said as he looked around at the remaining humans, who had all gathered in one corner of the bridge.

Jack nodded again. "Alright then. I that case if you'll pardon me, there's some business I need to attend to in the hold."

Without another word, Jack started walking towards the door of the cockpit; which he noticed had been blown off its hinges and was nowhere to be seen. Suddenly the hole in the windshield made a lot more sense.

"Just a warning, there are still a few guards that don't know when to quit," Nova stated as Jack walked past her. "Not that they will be a problem for you though."

Jack chuckled, but didn't look back. "Yeah, I was gonna say; what's the warning? Don't worry about me, I'll be fine."

With that, Jack walked out the door. He wished momentarily that he'd taken the layout of the ship from J's mind too, but it was a minor inconvenience at most. There were only so many ways to go, so Jack just picked one and went down it.

It wasn't long before he ran into a group of the guards Nova had warned him about, but Jack wasn't worried. On the other hand, he also wasn't in a very good mood. You have to feel sorry for the guards. They managed to fire off a few stasis bolts, but Jack stopped the projectiles midair without so much as lifting a finger. After that it took him about three seconds to dismantle the entire group one by one. Most of them would just be one giant bruise from head to toe when they woke up, with no idea what hit them.

Jack continued on his way towards the ship's cargo hold, only running into one more group of guards along the way; which he dispatched with similar ease. He had to backtrack a few times when he took the wrong path, but eventually he found what he was looking for.

With a sigh of resignation, Jack entered the hold of the ship. There were still assorted metal and wooden crates piles everywhere, full of Pokémon that were considered rare and valuable. The police would ensure that as many of them were returned to their homes as possible, but there was one Pokémon there who Jack knew would never be able to return home.

Hearing footsteps in the corridor behind him, Jack turned around. A quick auric scan told him that Nova and Razgriz had followed him, and that the Veilstone City Police Department had finally arrived along with Maylene.

Jack couldn't resist. He quickly seated himself on a nearby crate, folded his hands, and smiled ominously at Nova and Razgriz as they entered the room.

"Hello. I've been expecting you," Jack said, lowering his voice as much as he could.

Both Nova and Razgriz looked at each other with a bit of confusion as they walked towards Jack.

"Okay…" Nova said as she turned towards Jack, one of her ears tilted over to the side.

Jack sighed. "Never mind. Anyway, I assume the police have things well in hand?"

"They were just entering the bridge when we cloaked up and came down here," Nova stated as the two of them stopped in front of the crate Jack was sitting on.

"So… why did you need to come down here? Is J keeping your Pokémon here?" Razgriz inquired.

Jack's shoulders fell slightly, and he took a long, deep breath before replying. "No, I'm down here for someone else. My friends… I looked through J's memories, and they're not here any more."

"Did you at least find out where they are?" Razgriz inquired as he looked up towards Jack.

Jack nodded, although he couldn't look Nova or Razgriz in the eye. "Yeah, I did. They're… in the Kanto region. J sold them to an organisation called Team Rocket."

* * *

Jack: Tell me something, are you ever not going to end a chapter with a cliffhanger?

Me: Not in the foreseeable future, no.

Razgriz: I have been instructed to give you this sternly worded letter about the ending of this chapter.

Nova: There are some harsh words in there.

Me: Harsh words? I lived through the YouTube comments section. I'm not afraid of one letter.

Jack: I smell famous last words.

Me: Aaanyway, one thing I do want to mention is that, as a few of you readers probably noticed, my overall depiction of Hunter J in this chapter was very similar to how the character was portrayed in a fanfic called 'Keldeo and the Swords of Justice- Season Two' by Matthias Unidostres. And yes, I admit, I borrowed a lot of ideas from his depiction of J.

Jack: Alright, that's all we needed to hear. Lock him up!

Razgriz: should I call the Spanish Inquisition?

Jack: Uhh… I dunno, I somehow feel like that would be crossing a line...

Nova: since when have you ever been shy about breaking the fourth wall?

Jack: It's not that. It's just that if we call them in, that means we'd be expecting them.

Nova: ah, I see the problem...

Me: Guys, just hear me out okay?

Jack: Fine, we'll reserve judgement. For now.

Me: Thank you. As I was saying, I drew a lot of inspiration from Matthias's story; but I'd been planning to bring Hunter J back for a final, climactic fight ever since she was first introduced in Book 1. I just couldn't figure out a viable way of letting her hold her own against Jack in open combat, and after the events of this collab with OseanSoldier she would've stood even less of a chance. So when I saw what Matthias did with the character, it was exactly the breakthrough I'd been looking for. So I'd like to once again thank Matthias for inspiring me with his writing, even while he's not writing any more. That, and I'd like to take this opportunity to recommend that you check out his stories; they're absolutely fantastic, and cover a wide range of different genres and fandoms so there's something for everyone.

Jack: Did… you just turn an apology for borderline plagiarism into a sellout…?

Me: Uhh…

Jack: …

Me: Leave a review…? o:)

Spanish Inquisition: NOBODY EXPE- DANG IT!


	35. Toto

Razgriz let out a low growl as he bared his teeth and clenched his paws at the mentioning of Team Rocket. Anger flooded through his veins for a brief moment as he slammed his paw against one of the metal crates next to him. He left a visible indent on it before he calmed himself down and took a breath.

Jack glanced over at Razgriz, surprised at the hybrid's violent reaction. "You okay Razgriz? You look like someone just mentioned your worst enemy."

"Not my worst enemy, but I have had the mispleasure of being under their ownership before," Razgriz ground out as he glanced over at Jack. "Out of all of the people that experimented on me, they were probably the worst."

Jack felt a familiar chunk of ice form in his stomach, and the world started to blur before his eyes. "I… I see," he managed to croak out, although his voice sounded like it was coming from far away. "So then… can you t-tell me anything else about them? Like… where their main base is?"

Razgriz's glance became more of a glare that lasted for a few seconds before he turned away. He was silent for a few seconds as he closed his eyes.

"It was many painful years ago… So no, I don't know where their main base is," Razgriz answered in a slightly aggravated tone.

Jack couldn't respond except by nodding his head slowly. The chunk of ice in his chest had frozen his throat, leaving him unable to speak. He swallowed in an attempt to clear it, but the chill refused to go away. It was spreading through his entire body, a million icy tendrils clawing at him.

Unbeknownst to Jack, the air started to glitter as the moisture in it froze into thousands of tiny crystals that hovered around him like a cloud of mist. A thin crust of frost spread under him across the crate on which he was sitting, as though he were leaking ice.

Both Nova and Razgriz looked around them at forming cloud of frozen mist. It didn't take long for Nova to swipe her paw through it like a child and she spun around for a bit. Razgriz was a bit more curious than Nova as to the cause of the strange phenomena. After a bit he realized that it was centered around Jack.

"Novus…" Razgriz muttered, coming to the conclusion that Jack was indeed the source. Though he had never seen anything like this before. Even Nova had noticed at this point.

Jack gritted his teeth, completely oblivious to his surroundings. It was so tempting to just let the ice consume him completely; freeze his fear, his anger, his desperation, everything. He didn't want to feel them any more. He couldn't just freeze though, not until his friends were safe. Until they were free, he couldn't afford to give up. He had to keep going, no matter what.

The cloud of ice around him shrank rapidly inward as the ice crystals evaporated. Eventually even the ice in Jack's veins thawed, allowing to take a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding. The chunk of ice in his stomach shrank a little, but it refused to go away.

Jack sighed and looked up from the floor, noticing Nova and Razgriz looking at him funny.

"What?" Jack asked, his expression unreadable.

"Ummm… the fact that you were just surrounded by a cloud of ice?" Nova replied with one of her ears falling sideways.

To be honest, Jack wasn't surprised in the slightest. Still, it was disconcerting to know that other emotions besides anger could affect his abilities. It made sense, but it also meant he'd have to be even more careful.

Jack sighed again and hopped down from the crate. "Never mind that. We should head back to the dojo. Or at least, the two of you should. I have to stay here and pretend to have taken J's ship down single-handedly, otherwise the police will get suspicious."

Both Nova and Razgriz glanced at one another before Razgriz spoke up.

"But what was the reason you came down here exactly?" He inquired.

"Good question. Actually, I came here for this," Jack replied, patting the metal crate he'd just been sitting on. It was a cube that came up to his waist. "And I'd appreciate it if you took it with you when you leave. Just put it in my room, if you don't mind. I'll take care of it when I'm done here."

"You are killing me with curiosity…" Nova mumbled as Razgriz opened a portal back to the dojo. Nova picked up the crate and carried it through the portal before Razgriz followed behind her. The portal then closed with a muffled bang leaving Jack by himself in the cargo bay.

Jack sighed yet again, wondering briefly if he was doing the right thing.

"Oh well," he muttered to himself. "If she doesn't want to come with me, she'll be no worse off. I just wonder how much she remembers..."

Pushing those thoughts to the back of his head, Jack figured it was about time he met up with the police. No doubt they'd be very eager to hear the details of his encounter with Hunter J, and he had the story all planned out. Of course he'd have to include Razgriz and Nova somehow, just in case they interrogated some of the crew, but he could just say they were two of his Pokémon. Now that the whole world had seen what his Pokémon were capable of, they'd have no reason not to believe him.

* * *

Jack groaned as he fell out of a rift in the fabric of reality and landed directly on his bed. He was glad to finally be back at the dojo, although it had taken a lot longer than he'd hoped. The police were very curious, and it had taken so long to explain the situation to them that Jack was actually worried J might wake up and escape in the meantime. Fortunately, that didn't happen. Another fortunate turn of events was that when Jack told them two of his Pokémon took down J's airship, no one so much as batted an eye.

By the time everything was said and done, and J was finally in police custody, it was almost dinnertime. Jack didn't really care though. He felt no satisfaction at seeing J locked away, no sense of accomplishment, no relief. The fight wasn't over, his friends were still in enemy hands. He was in no better a position now than he had been after storming Alpha's main base; he still only had a vague idea of where to look next, and no guarantee that it would be the last page of his search. In fact, compared taking down Alpha's main base, this fight with J seemed depressingly insignificant.

And so Jack just lay and stared at the ceiling for several minutes, trying to come up with some way… any way of finding his friends now. He'd have to go to Kanto, that much was obvious. After that though…

At that point, Jack became aware of the metal crate sitting at the foot of his bed. As to how he hadn't noticed it before, Jack blamed the crushing weight of the world resting on his shoulders. Now that he had noticed it however, he couldn't just ignore it.

" _Guess Nova and Razgriz put it there,"_ he thought to himself. " _I should probably let her out."_

Jack sort of flopped out of bed and shuffled towards the crate, his feet dragging and his shoulders slumped. He put a hand on the cold metal of the box, and undid the clasp holding the lid shut. Then, he just stood there; one hand on the lid, one hand hanging limp at his side. He tried to open the crate, but his arm refused to move.

Jack stared down at his arm with a blank expression, as if he could will it into motion, but it wouldn't budge an inch. A moment later, the dinner bell tolled out loud and clear from downstairs causing Jack to look up. Everyone would be expecting him to come down for something to eat.

"Maybe… I should wait until after dinner to release her," Jack muttered to no one in particular. "It would be awkward to introduce her to everyone without explaining everything to her first, and I couldn't just leave her up here while I ate. Yeah… I'll do it, right after dinner…"

Having convinced himself, Jack let his right hand fall to his side. He took a step back from the metal crate and, after staring at it a moment longer, turned away and walked towards the door. As he stepped out into the hallway, Jack's feet felt even heavier than before although he had no idea why.

Jack closed the door behind him, then turned his head to see Nova and Razgriz leaving their room as well. Jack raised the corners of his mouth in what he hoped looked like a smile.

"Hey Nova, Razgriz," he greeted them. "You heading to dinner?"

"Yeah, we were waiting on you. You made quite the entrance," Nova said with a small laugh.

Jack scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "You don't say… Well, sorry if I disturbed you then. I was just really, really tired."

"I wouldn't say you disturbed us, though it did take Nova a bit to calm down," Razgriz stated as he closed the door to their room.

"How are the two of you doing?" Jack asked. "I mean, I doubt anything on that ship could've actually hurt either of you, but still…"

"Well… I was momentarily caught in one of those statis blast things…." Nova replied as she rubbed the back of her head.

Jack nodded. "I see. You're alright now though?"

"Yeah, nothing a little stretching out didn't fix," Nova said as she looked over at Jack.

"Yeah… though I might have had a bit of an adverse reaction to that happening…." Razgriz muttered in a low voice.

"Well, I can personally attest to the fact that, aside from being really inconvenient, the stasis blasts have no lasting side effects," Jack commented.

"That is good to hear," Nova said with a warm smile as the three of them walked down the hall towards the dining room.

The three of them met up with Maylene at the dining hall and, after a brief round of toasts to the successful capture of Hunter J, dinner was served. Jack was pretty much the man of the hour at the dojo, and everyone wanted to congratulate him. None of them knew Jack's real objective, or that he was back to square one, so they saw J's defeat as a major triumph; especially when, after much persuasion, Jack gave a detailed account of the fight. Of course, not all the details made it into his story.

Jack didn't really attend much to the meal, despite it being essentially a feast in his honour. Even while telling of his oh-so-glorious battle with J, Jack's mind was elsewhere. He kept a smile on his face at all times, but he didn't feel much like smiling. He couldn't get over Razgriz's description of Team Rocket, and the knowledge that his friends were in their hands. The students of the dojo may have been celebrating his victory, but Jack had never felt so defeated. How many times would he chase after his friends, only to have them slip through his fingers?

Jack excused himself as soon as politeness allowed, and headed back up to his room under the pretext that he was exhausted from the fight and wanted to get some rest. This was entirely true of course. Nova and Razgriz followed him, and the three of them were soon back at the dormitory.

"Well," Jack said, putting a hand on the door handle, "G'night then."

"So… about that crate?" Nova asked before he could enter his room.

Jack sighed, a wry smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. "Curious much?"

"Yep!" Nova yipped happily, a wide smile adorning her muzzle.

"Trust me, I live with her. She won't stop bothering you about it till you tell her," Razgriz said with a small laugh, remembering how persistent she could become.

"I'm surprised you didn't take a peek inside when you had the chance," Jack remarked.

"We certainly could have, but that would just be rude," Razgriz countered.

Jack shrugged. "Alright then, I'll show you. Come on inside."

With that, Jack opened the door and stepped into his room with Nova and Razgriz following him. The crate was right where Jack had left it, and still unopened. Jack walked around to the front of the metal box, and put a hand on the lid. With two sets of eyes following his every move, Jack undid the clasp yet again; and yet again, he was suddenly rendered motionless.

Jack gritted his teeth and scowled at the box, as if he could scare his problems away. He knew why he didn't want to open the box; it was a simple, selfish reason, and he hated it. The fact was that Jack just didn't want to deal with this right now. He was exhausted, emotionally and physically, and he just wanted to curl up on his bed and go to sleep. He didn't want to have to smile, to put on a brave face, to act like nothing was wrong…

Still, he had to at least show Nova what was inside the crate. So, with a sigh of resignation, Jack lifted the top off the box; allowing the other four sides to fall outward, revealing a glass dome on a round metal base. It was a stasis chamber, and inside it was a small, fox-like Pokémon with six fluffy tails; a Vulpix.

"Kind of looks like me before I evolved…" Nova said in a soft voice as she gazed at the motionless Pokémon.

"Except I'd wager she's a lot less mischievous than you were at that age," Jack remarked wryly, although his smile wasn't quite as wide as before.

"Probably," Nova replied with a mischievous grin.

"I can say that she is still rather mischievous," Razgriz said with a slight smile.

Jack didn't reply to that. He couldn't tear his eyes away from the tiny fox Pokémon in front of him. He still didn't know exactly what possessed him to spirit this Vulpix away before the police could find her. For all he knew, she might've been adopted by a nice family or something. Was he just lonely? Maybe…

At any rate, now that he'd gone this far he couldn't stop halfway. Exhausted or not, the thought of the Vulpix spending any more time in stasis revolted Jack. He hated himself for not freeing her as soon as he got back to the dojo. So, before he could make any more excuses, Jack flicked a switch on the base of the stasis pod. The bronze shell coating the Vulpix faded. She was free.

However, no sooner was the Vulpix out of stasis than she collapsed to the floor of the pod, unconscious. Jack quickly scanned her aura, and was relieved to find everything normal. The Vulpix must just have gone into shock from being in stasis for too long; her body needed to recalibrate. In other words, she was sleeping; a healthy, natural sleep for the first time in who knows how long.

"She'll be fine," Jack said, for the benefit of Nova and Razgriz. "She's just sleeping."

"Still… poor thing…." Nova stated, her ears drooping down as she looked at the sleeping fox.

Jack pushed a button on the base, and the plexiglass dome came unsealed from it. Jack gingerly removed the dome, placing it off to one side, then even more carefully picked up the sleeping Vulpix. Cradling her in both arms, as someone might carry a baby, Jack carried the Vulpix over to his bed and gently set her down on the pillow.

"Alright," Jack said, turning to Nova and Razgriz. "Out, both of you. She needs to get a good night's sleep."

"Pft, you're likely to make more noise than we are," Nova said with a quiet laugh before turning around.

"Yeah yeah," Jack replied. "Out you go."

Once the two Pokémon were out the door, Jack shut it behind them. With that done, he let out a sigh of resignation and glanced back over to his bed where the Vulpix was sleeping peacefully.

"Now what…?" he muttered to himself.

Jack walked over to his bed and stroked the Vulpix's ear with one finger, eliciting a small twitch from the sleeping fox, and he chuckled slightly as he realized how much like Lucy the little Vulpix looked sleeping there. Lucy loved it when he scritched her behind the ears too…

Jack retracted his hand slowly, unconsciously curling it into a fist as he gritted his teeth. His eyes and throat hurt, as if there was a pressure building behind them. His emotions were swirling around so violently inside him that he felt like he would explode. What was he doing getting attached to this Vulpix when he still hadn't saved his friends?

With a growl of frustration, Jack teleported away. He needed to be alone, so he went to the only place nearby where he could be. The clearing where he'd spent so much time practising with his sword. The wild Pokémon had long since learned to avoid the area, so he didn't have to hold anything back.

For a second though, he just stood there in the middle of the clearing. The charred husks of trees he'd felled with a single stroke surrounded him like ghastly spectres, full of malice. They whispered to him, accusing him of failing his friends. His blood was turning to ice in his veins, threatening to paralyze him. He tried to force the ice back, but the more he thought about his friends in the hands of Team Rocket for all this time, the more helpless he felt.

Now though, the accusations cut even deeper than usual. Not only had he failed his friends, he felt like he'd betrayed them. It felt, although he never would've thought this in his right mind, like he was trying to replace them somehow with that Vulpix.

"You… idiot..." he growled, clenching his fists; his self-pity turning to anger. "You arrogant… self-righteous… IDIOT!"

The air around Jack started to shimmer with heat. With each word the area around him heated up, until with his last shout the grass at his feet burst into flames. Even so, despite the flames licking over his body, the ice within him refused to melt.

With a cry of desperation, Jack tried to stoke the flames of his anger even higher. He needed to rid himself of this paralyzing feeling of helplessness at all costs. At least anger could be focused, anger could help him save his friends. Giving up would not.

A column of red-hot flames rose into the night sky, with Jack at its center. The heat was so intense that Jack was starting to have trouble breathing. Gradually, the ice retreated from his limbs and shrank back into a cold lump inside his stomach. It wouldn't pull back any further though, and Jack gritted his teeth at the knowledge that all the anger in the world couldn't completely erase his doubts.

Jack sank to his knees, the flames dying away into wisps of smoke; black as a nightmare. His bonfire had almost caught the surrounding trees on fire, and a few of the fallen trunks had been badly scorched. Much longer and he might have caused a forest fire, but even as he knelt there he could feel the cold fingers of despair clawing at him again.

"How can I save my friends," he growled through clenched teeth, "If I'm at the mercy of my own emotions?"

"You're right you know, you're gonna have to get that under control."

Jack looked up quickly to see Maylene walking towards him. She smiled at him reassuringly, kneeling next to him and placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Still," she said quietly. "Like I said before you're not alone. You have friends who care about you, and would happily share your burden. All you have to do is ask."

Jack lowered his head, unable to look Maylene in the eyes. "There are some burdens I have to carry alone…"

"Try me," Maylene replied, not unkindly.

Jack hesitated a moment, then sighed. He told her about everything he'd learned from Hunter J about his Pokémon. Maylene just listened silently, absorbing the information with a solemn expression.

"I did wonder whether something had gone wrong," Maylene said once Jack had finished. "All through dinner you looked like you wanted to curl up in a dark corner."

Jack sighed. "That pretty much sums it up…"

"Look at it this way though," Maylene continued. "It'll be much easier to track down a whole organisation, and they won't be able to run away."

"Don't you get it?!" Jack almost shouted. "They've been in the hands of Team Rocket for a month now, who knows what might have happened to them. For all I know, I might already be too late…"

Maylene shook her head. "Give them more credit than that. Your friends are strong, and they have each other. Do you really think that Jason would let any of them get hurt? Because I don't."

Jack blinked and looked up at Maylene. The gym leader's expression was devoid of doubt, and her tone was one of utmost certainty. As Jack thought about it, he realized that she was right. His friends were more than capable of taking care of themselves; they'd keep each other safe.

"That's not all though," Jack continued grimly, proceeding to tell her about the Vulpix.

"So you feel guilty for spending time and energy rescuing another Pokémon while your friends are still in danger," Maylene summed up.

Jack nodded.

Maylene just sighed. "And do you think Jason, or Lucy, or any of your friends would see it that way? Would they have wanted you to ignore that poor Vulpix?"

"Of course not!" Jack exclaimed. "But it not just that. It feels like I'm… trying to replace them somehow!"

"And I know for a fact that you'd never do that," Maylene replied without missing a beat. "But even if you were, do you think your friends would want you to be lonely while they're away?"

Jack gritted his teeth. Once again, Maylene had hit the nail right on the head. He felt like an idiot for worrying so much, and beating himself up for it. Jason, Lucy, Wendy… none of them would want him to worry; or beat himself up. They wouldn't want him to destroy himself trying to rescue them.

A few tears ran down Jack's cheeks, the first he'd allowed himself to shed in a very long time. Maylene pulled him close to her, wrapping her arms around him tightly in a comforting embrace. She patted his back gently, not even minding as Jack's tears soaked her shoulder.

"You really are a mess, Jack," she said quietly, smiling ruefully as her own eyes started getting teary as well. "So emotional. It's good for you to have someone to care about, someone to protect. Someone to love…"

As if on cue, a bolt of lightning split the sky. A moment later, the dark clouds above them opened and they were drenched by a sudden downpour. Jack didn't mind though. It was a warm rain, and it helped hide the tears streaming down his face. Deep inside him, the chunk of ice had finally started to melt away properly. All that pent-up emotion had to escape somehow though, and so he cried.

He cried just for the sake of letting it out. His shoulders shook as he sobbed, clinging to Maylene as if she were his only lifeline. It was strangely refreshing to let the tears flow freely, he felt like a weight had been lifted from his back.

After a while however, Jack became aware that both he and Maylene were soaked to the skin. So, an exhausted smile tugging at the corners of his mouth, he finally broke the hug and looked at the gym leader.

"Thank you, Maylene," he said quietly. "I needed that."

Maylene chuckled. "No problem, that's what friends are for. Now then, let's get out of this rain before we both catch a cold."

Jack nodded, and with a crackle of energy the two of them disappeared.

* * *

Jack woke up, and immediately became conscious of something warm and fluffy tickling his nose. He tried to hold it in, but it was an effort in futility.

"Atchoo!"

Opening his eyes, Jack saw a furry snout and a pair of deep, chestnut-brown eyes. Those eyes, he quickly noticed, had a mischievous glint to them.

"I thought you'd never wake up," the Vulpix commented wryly, grinning at the look on Jack's face.

"You're awake I see?" Jack groaned, trying his hardest to merge with the bed.

The Vulpix snickered. "Nope, I sleep-walk."

Jack snorted and buried his face in his pillow. "Ha ha, very funny."

The Vulpix blinked, staring at Jack blankly for several seconds. Suddenly, her eyes widened in realization and she tumbled backwards; falling off the bed with an "Eeep!" and a thud. Jack quickly leaned over the side of the bed to look at her.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

The Vulpix lay on her back and looked up at him. "If I said you look real funny from down here, what would you say?"

"I'd say so do you," Jack deadpanned.

With a yip of alarm, the Vulpix rolled upright and backed quickly away from Jack. "You can… understand me?" she asked in a mix of shock and disbelief.

Jack sighed. "It's… a long story."

The Vulpix blinked. "How long?"

"Probably around a forty-chapter book."

"Oh…"

"Anyway," Jack continued, sitting up on the bed. "Did you sleep well at least?"

The Vulpix hesitated a moment, then nodded. "Yeah, I guess I did. So… are you gonna tell me where I am? Because last I remember I was in the middle of the forest, and this looks like some kind of human building."

"There's a very good reason for that," Jack replied with a straight face. "As for why you're here… do you remember anything about what happened to you?"

The Vulpix shook her head. "Nope. One minute I was wandering through the forest, and the next minute BAM! I felt something really cold, then I woke up here. Did you kidnap me? 'Cause that'd be kinda weird..."

Jack sighed and shook his head. "Actually, I rescued you from the one who kidnapped you. I don't suppose you've ever heard of Hunter J, or the Predator?"

The Vulpix shook her head. "Nope. Whoever he is though, he sounds mean…"

" _She_ was very mean," Jack replied. "Fortunately for you, when I took her down I ended up finding you."

"Oh… okay then," the Vulpix said with a shrug. "And you are…?"

"Jack," he told her. "Jack Storm. I'm a Pokémon trainer."

"Aha!" the Vulpix exclaimed triumphantly. "So you are gonna kidnap me!"

Jack gave her an odd look. "And… that makes you happy?"

The Vulpix shrugged. "Eh. You seem nice enough, and I've been looking for something to do anyway. Might as well tag along with you while I figure out how to get home."

Jack's expression must have let on more than he intended.

"I'm not going to like the next words out of your mouth, am I?" she said.

Jack sighed. "You… might have a hard time getting home."

"Why?"

"Hunter J wasn't the one who initially captured you," Jack said. He then hesitated a moment, steeling his nerves before continuing. "You were in suspended animation, so you haven't aged at all, but you were captured almost fifteen years ago."

* * *

Me: Dun dun duuuun…

Jack: You just had to, didn't you.

Me: Yup.

Razgriz: Cliffhangers are the norm here. This ain't the only cliffhanger either.

Me: *shrugs* What can I say? I find a strange satisfaction in keeping my readers in suspense.

Nova: Probably because both you and Osean are massive trolls.

Jack: I agree wholeheartedly with that assessment.

Me: ...I can't even deny it.

Razgriz: I doubt Osean can either.

Me: Anyway, I hope you two had fun doing whatever you were doing while Jack was away.

Nova: Actually, we just kind of had a heart to heart moment.

Me: Ooh, do tell.

Razgriz: You have eyes, read it yourself.

Jack: He's got you there.

Me: *head disappears*

Jack: ...Dangit.

Razgriz: I call dibs on his stuff.

Me: *crosses his arms*

Jack: Where has this author's notes even gone?

Nova: They are rather silly at this point.

Jack: This is the silliest sketch I've ever been in.

Nova: Shall we stop it?

Jack: Yeah, alright.

Me: Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition!


	36. Back on track

The Vulpix looked up at him blankly, then her eyes went wide as realization dawned on her face.

"Fifteen years…" she repeated. "Are you serious?"

Jack shook his head. "I wish I wasn't…"

The Vulpix lay down on the floor and went silent, obviously struggling to wrap her head around what this all meant for her. Jack just sighed and rolled off of his bed-mat. He hated to leave the little fox alone, but his stomach was telling him that it was time for breakfast.

"I'll just be downstairs if you need me," Jack told her. "Otherwise, you should probably stay in here until I get back. I won't be long."

The Vulpix nodded. "Alright then."

Jack opened the door. "I'll bring you back something to eat," he said, glancing back at her. "Is there anything you'd like in particular?"

The Vulpix's ear twitched, and she glanced up at Jack. "Well… maybe chicken if you have it…"

Jack nodded. "I'll see what I can do." He turned to leave, then paused and shot one last question back over his shoulder. "Raw or cooked?"

The Vulpix huffed. "Cooked, of course. I'm not a wild animal."

Jack couldn't help grinning a little. He liked this little fox already.

Jack headed down to the dining room, where Maylene was already waiting for him. After a brief exchange of pleasantries, during which Jack assured Maylene that he was no longer depressed, they sat down for breakfast with the other residents of the dojo.

Moments later, Nova and Razgriz entered the room as they sensed that Jack was up and about. They sat down next to Jack and looked down at the table. Their eyes scanned over the food displayed before Nova looked up at Maylene.

" _So… where is the food?"_ Nova asked, refusing to accept the display in front of her.

Jack and Maylene chuckled. Breakfast, true to form, consisted mostly of 'healthy' food. There were fried eggs, but they were mostly unseasoned. It seemed that the guests would no longer be given special treatment in terms of nutrition. Jack quickly snagged an egg for himself, as did Maylene and most of the students of the dojo.

Nova looked at the food for a moment, as if contemplating if she wanted to try it. However, after a few seconds of inhaling the smell from the food, she decided against it. Razgriz simply crossed his arms under his chest spike and didn't show the display of food any interest.

Jack glanced at Maylene. "Well, looks like I'll be taking them out for breakfast today."

"You know we can get breakfast ourselves," Razgriz said as he glanced over at Jack before his eyes glared around at the other humans filling the room.

Jack shrugged. "True, but the question you have to ask yourself is this. Would you rather go out and hunt something down, or have food delivered to you on a platter?"

"Hunt for it," both Nova and Razgriz replied in unison.

"Well, have fun then," Jack said with a wave and a grin. A moment later, he blinked out of existence.

Jack reappeared in Veilstone City and made a beeline for the nearest restaurant. He ordered fried chicken, paid, and left with a take-out box. He then returned to the dojo, and walked into his room.

"I'm back," he said as he opened the door. "And I brought something for you."

The Vulpix was lying on his bed, and she looked up quickly as he entered the room.

"I smell chicken," she said, her eyes wide.

Jack chuckled and sat down on the ground. "Yep. It's hardly what I'd call breakfast, but oh well."

"I don't care if it's breakfast or dinner," the Vulpix said, walking over to him. "It's food, and I'm starving."

"I figured you'd say that," Jack replied with a grin, opening the take-out box to reveal a few sizeable pieces of fried chicken and a few fries.

The Vulpix took one look at the food, and her mouth started to water. She grabbed one of the pieces of chicken and practically inhaled it. Jack meanwhile, having only had an egg thus far, took a piece of chicken for himself and picked at the fries. By the time he had finished his piece, the little fox had polished off the final one. She then rolled over onto her back and sighed contentedly.

"Ahh… that was good," she said, her fluffy tails wagging back and forth. "Thanks, mister Jack."

Jack chuckled. "Wow, now you're making me feel old. Just Jack is fine."

The Vulpix grinned mischievously. "Okay, Just Jack."

Jack facepalmed, but he couldn't keep himself from chuckling. He just hoped that the little fox and Nova never joined forces. Speaking of which...

"By the way," Jack commented. "You never told me your name."

The Vulpix shrugged. "Never really had one."

Jack nodded. "I see. Well, would you like one?"

"Sure, I guess," she replied with another shrug, not looking at him. From the way her ears perked up however, she wasn't quite as apathetic as she'd have him believe.

Jack thought about it for a moment, then he snapped his finger. "I've got it. Katia."

The Vulpix seemed to mull it over, then she nodded. "I guess it'll do."

"So," Jack asked. "Have you decided what you're going to do now?"

'Katia', as she was now to be called, was silent for a moment. "Well," she said eventually, "If it really has been fifteen years, then finding my old home will be almost impossible. They probably wouldn't even remember me…"

Jack sighed. Katia was right of course, it would be all but impossible. As he'd learned from Hunter J, Katia's previous home had been with a travelling circus in Hoenn. She had been their mascot. He had no idea what her life had been like, but it was far too late for her to go back to it now.

"I'm sorry," Jack said.

Katia snorted a little. "For what? Rescuing me? Don't be silly. If it weren't for you I'd still be asleep."

"I guess you have a point," Jack replied, scratching the back of his head.

"Well," Katia said with a sigh, "You're not perfect, but at least you can be taught. I suppose you'll have to do."

Jack raised an eyebrow. "Does… that mean you're still coming with me?"

"Of course I am," Katia affirmed imperiously, leaning her head back. "I don't exactly have anywhere else to go, and as owners go you're… passable. So, I might as well."

Jack chuckled mischievously and scooted over to her. She was still lying on her back, so he placed a hand on her belly and started to gently stroke her soft fur. Katia let out a little yip of surprise at first, however she soon started whining happily as Jack rubbed her belly. Her tails swished from side to side eagerly, and she panted slightly.

"Okay, I take it back," she exclaimed after a moment. "You're definitely a keeper. Ooh, yeah that's the spot. Ahh…"

Jack snorted as he held in his laughter. "I take it you like belly rubs?"

"No," Katia shot back without hesitation. "Whatever gave you that idea…"

"I think that she is lying," Nova interjected, much to their surprise, a wide smirk plastered on her muzzle. She was currently hanging upside down from the roof with her blue and black mane hanging behind her and looking through the small window.

Katia looked up at Nova, and seemed a little annoyed. "He's my human," she yapped before Jack could say anything. "Get your own."

Jack looked back down at the little fox and raised an eyebrow. "Really now…"

Nova was laughing hysterically as her auric grip on the roof faltered and she fell. The sight of Nova falling flashed by the window before she flipped mid air and landed on all four of her paws. She the leapt back up and used her aura to cling onto the wall before he head poked back through the window.

"So Jack, you going to tell Maylene you got a new girlfriend?" Nova teased with a mischievous grin.

Jack looked up at her, a smirk on his face. "I once gave a lucario a black eye for making jokes like that."

"Well, you surely wouldn't hit a woman would you?" Nova asked.

Jack cracked his knuckles. "I believe in gender equality."

"You uncultured barbarian," Nova then stuck out her tongue at Jack.

"Says the one peeking in through other people's windows," Jack shot back without hesitation.

"I'm spying, totally different," Nova countered.

Katia snickered. "You know what? Let's just share him."

Jack blinked. "Do I get any say in this?"

"Nope," Nova and Katia said simultaneously.

Jack sighed. His worst fears had been realized. "You might as well come in and introduce yourself properly," Jack told Nova.

"Sure why not," Nova said with a shrug. She then dropped back down to the ground, landing gracefully on all four of her paws before going inside and up to Jack's room. She knocked on the door and waited for Jack to answer it.

Jack flicked his finger, and the door clicked open. "Come on in," he said.

Katia sat up and examined Nova. The smaller fox tilted her head curiously, her fluffy tails swishing from side to side behind her.

Nova walked in and closed the door behind her before sitting on the ground with her legs crossed. She looked at the small fox Pokémon and tilted her head to the side as well.

"So, who are you?" Nova asked curiously.

"My name's Katia," she replied. "At least, it is since five minutes ago. How about you?"

"Nova," the Azorian Zoroark replied. "You look a lot like I used to."

Katia looked up at her for a moment, then the smaller fox got up and walked over to Jack. Before he could say anything, she hopped into his lap and curled up. She then looked back at Nova, seeming extremely satisfied and somewhat smug. Jack just sighed and scritched the tiny fox behind the ears.

"So, Jack, are you like her servant now?" Nova teased with another mischievous smirk.

Jack glanced down at Katia, who grinned back innocently.

"Yeah, pretty much," Jack deadpanned, looking back at Nova.

Nova smirked before her entire body glowed blue, then in a flash she turned into a black and red Zorua that she used to look like.

Jack blinked, momentarily taken aback. He reached out to touch the Zorua's nose. Nova snickered in response walking onto the opposite end of Jack's bed.

"No comment from your new lady friend?" Nova asked as she laid down.

Katia shrugged. "We've already agreed to share him, so there's no point in competing with you. I'm totally cuter though, right Jack?" she added quickly.

Jack assumed the look of someone who had just been handed a death sentence.

"What is there to compete with?" Nova asked, slightly confused as to what Katia was going on about.

Katia rolled her eyes. "Nothing, forget it."

Jack breathed a sigh of relief at being let off the hook. "So anyway," he asked Nova, "Where's Razgriz?"

"He's out in the forest meditating," Nova replied as she got rid of her illusion and leaned back.

"Alright then," Jack said, scritching Katia behind the ears as the little fox lounged in his lap.

Jack was silent for a moment, then he sighed. He might as well tell them now and get it over with.

"Nova," he said plainly. "I've decided that I'm going to leave the dojo tomorrow and travel to Kanto."

"Kanto?" Katia asked in confusion.

"I'll fill you in later," Jack replied. "It's a long story."

"How do you plan on getting us there?" Nova inquired, sitting back up and looking at Jack.

"Well, I was going to…" he paused, furrowing his brow in confusion. "Wait, 'us'? Does that mean you're coming with me?"

"We promised to help you get your friends back. Seeing that hasn't been accomplished yet, of course we are," Nova replied.

Jack chuckled. "Well, that's a weight off my shoulders. Although knowing you, I suppose I shouldn't have expected any less. To answer your question, I was going to travel by plane. I don't know the limits of Razgriz's portals, but I know I can't teleport to anywhere I haven't been before."

"I am pretty sure that Razgriz has the same limitation," Nova said.

Jack nodded. "So yeah, a plane is our best bet. Travelling by ship would take way too long."

"Never been on a plane before…" Nova responded, rubbing her chin with one of her paws.

"Same here," Jack shrugged.

Katia blinked. "What's a plane?"

* * *

That night at dinner, Jack broke the news of his imminent departure to Maylene and the other residents of the dojo. They were all sad to see him leave, especially Maylene. However, the gym leader understood why he had to go and she wished him the best of luck.

After dinner, during which Katia once again stayed in his room, Jack said goodnight to everyone and went straight up to bed. He wanted to get up bright and early the next morning. No sooner had he laid down on his bed, than Katia curled up on his chest.

"Really?" Jack deadpanned.

Katia gave him a smug look. "Well, you are my human now; which also makes you my bed. So, goodnight."

With that, she closed her eyes and pretended to be asleep. Jack sighed, then decided to just accept it. It wasn't like he really minded anyway, it was just… it reminded him a little too much of the times when Lucy used to crawl into bed and snuggle with him...

Jack closed his eyes as well, turning his head to hide the dampness on his cheeks. "Goodnight."

It didn't take Jack long to drift off to sleep, and his rest was peaceful. His dreams were, for once, blissfully normal if a little bittersweet. He dreamed of his friends, and all the good times they'd shared. When he did finally wake up, just as dawn broke, he was not surprised to find his cheeks still damp.

"Rise and shine, Katia," he said, as the little fox was still fast asleep on his chest.

Katia blinked a few times, then stretched out on top of him; her paws padding at Jack's face. She yawned widely, then looked Jack in the eyes.

"So," she said sleepily. "What time is it anyway?"

Jack chuckled. "Time to get up. We need to get ready and head out."

Katia yawned again. "Can't we wait five more minutes…"

In response, Jack picked Katia up in both hands and then sat up. He placed Katia gently on his pillow, then got up and started getting ready to leave. He didn't really have much to pack, so that didn't take long.

"Alrighty Katia," he said when he was finished. "Now we really have to go."

He retrieved a Pokéball, which Katia eyed curiously. "What is that?" she asked, evidently having never seen one before.

Jack furrowed his brow, trying to think of the best way to explain it. "Well… trainers use these to 'capture' Pokémon. It's sort of like its own little world inside. Once you go inside one, it marks you so that no one else can capture you. I just want to do this as a precaution."

Katia blinked, obviously not understanding a word he'd just said. She shrugged though. "Okay, whatever."

Jack tapped the ball lightly on Katia's forehead, and the Vulpix disappeared in a beam of red light. Jack then plugged the Pokéball into his pack and transferred Katia over. He waited a moment for her to pop out on her own, then he remembered that she couldn't. Not without Thomas.

Jack sighed, and punched in Katia's number to let her out. She appeared in a flash of white light, looking utterly awestruck.

"I was… and there was…" she stammered.

Jack chuckled. "Yeah. It's pretty amazing in there, isn't it," he said, to which Katia nodded quickly.

Jack picked up the pack and, with Katia trotting along at his heels, went over to the door and stepped out of his room. Guessing that Nova and Razgriz were already outside, Jack headed downstairs to look for them. On the way, he ran into a few students of the dojo who bade him farewell. He didn't run into Maylene however.

Stepping outside, Jack saw Nova and Razgriz meditating in the courtyard of the dojo. There was a faint glow of aura around the two of them and neither of them showed much movement. Once Jack was closer, Razgriz opened one of his eyes and glanced over at the human before opening the other and standing up. Nova did the same a few seconds later before the two of them walked over to where Jack was waiting.

"Good morning," Nova said in a cheerful voice.

"Morning," Jack replied.

"Hi!" Katia yipped.

"You guys are up early, as always," Jack commented wryly.

Razgriz shrugged in response, not denying that the two of them were usually up early in the morning.

Jack rubbed the back of his head. "So, are you two ready to head out? Or would you rather stick around for breakfast?"

"Depend on where breakfast is…" Nova replied, not wanting anything to do with the food at the dojo.

Jack chuckled. "I take it you'd rather not have tofu and eggs… which I can understand. So in that case, how do you feel about heading to Hearthome City now and getting breakfast there?"

"Please, anything other than the food here. I don't know how you can even stand it," Nova pleaded.

"Agreed… That tofu stuff is a pitiful substitute for meat," Razgriz added in.

Jack busted up laughing at that, although he was inclined to agree with them. Only the fact that he'd gone through the tofu torture before had allowed him to survive it this time. Still, he too was eager to put the white, tasteless putty behind him and binge on junk food three meals a day for a week or two.

"Alright then," Jack agreed once his laughter had died down. "In that case, let's…"

He never got to finish that sentence, as Maylene suddenly seemed to materialize behind him. "Leaving so soon?" she said, a hint of mischief in her voice. "You haven't even had breakfast yet."

Jack jumped a little. "Oh, Maylene! Didn't see you there. I was going to come say goodbye, but I thought you were asleep."

Maylene snorted. "You know full well I get up at sunrise. I don't blame you though," she added, her tone softening. "I know breakfast isn't the only reason you're eager to get back on the road. Just promise me one thing. When you finally get your Pokémon back, make sure you stop by and say hi. Okay?"

Jack nodded solemnly, his expression full of a determination he didn't feel. "Deal. We'll see you then."

Katia nuzzled at Jack's leg reassuringly, and he bent down and picked her up. He then turned to Nova and Razgriz and nodded.

"Alright," he said. "Let's go."

* * *

Me: *cheers* We're not dead!

Jack: That's right everybody, we're finally back; and we're back to stay. Our authors have finally decided to take a break from exploring the vast reaches of deep space, and blowing stuff up, and are putting their noses back to the grindstone.

Osean: I resent that. I had a hard class and a job over the summer.

Me: Yeah, me too!

Jack *shrugs* Well, now you've both got even more classes; and you're both still holding down jobs. So… yeah.

Nova: yeah, but now they can no longer explore space and blow as much stuff up, cause Osean is now separated from his X51.

Razgriz: so therefore, less distraction and more time for writing.

Jack: And you guys are actually going to exercise that time wisely, right?

Me: Well…

Osean: no promises...

Jack: *le sigh*

Razgriz: I say we threaten them pain and suffering without end if they don't.

Jack: I don't like that plan… but yeah, that'd probably work.

Nova: if not, we just hack their gaming accounts.

Me: You wouldn't…

Jack: *grins*

Me: Jack…?

Jack: *cackles maniacally*


	37. The first rule

"Tickets to Kanto cost how much?!"

Jack stared incredulously at the screen of the airport terminal. Even counting Nova and Razgriz as his Pokémon, although they were incapable of going inside Pokéballs, the cost of passage to Kanto was… shall we say, steep. Checking his bag, Jack's fears were confirmed. He only had a little money left, and it wouldn't be nearly enough to get them to Kanto.

"Well," Jack commented dryly. "That's a problem."

"What is?" Nova inquired, looking up at where Jack was, not really understanding anything on the board, just that there were various numbers next to words.

"We don't have enough money to pay for tickets to Kanto," Jack explained.

"Ah…" Nova said before she looked back at Jack. "I might have a solution to that."

Jack glanced at her. "I'm open to suggestions."

"Well… it is a bit underhanded, but Razgriz and I have used it before. Use my illusions to create money to pay for tickets," Nova responded, rubbing the back of her head with her paw.

Jack was silent for a moment, his expression unreadable. It really would be that easy...

"I…" he paused again, legitimately torn. He wanted to get to Kanto as soon as possible. Every day they wasted was another day his friends were in Team Rocket's hands. Even so, "We can't."

Razgriz glanced over at Jack, he had remained mostly silent. He was currently under one of Nova's illusions as to hide his true appearance. Nova also made sure the blue in her fur had been replaced with red, giving them the appearance of two normal Pokémon. He didn't see the problem with Nova's idea as they had done it before.

"Why not?" He asked, letting his arms fall to his sides.

Jack's voice was a little forced. "It's wrong. 'You shall not steal', and 'you shall not bear false witness.' We would be lying, and it would be as good as stealing from the airline. We can't… _I won't_ do it."

Razgriz shrugged in response. He didn't quite understand what Jack was talking about. Personally, he didn't have any problems stealing from humans given how much humans had stolen from him.

"Well, how are we going to get enough money then?" Nova asked.

"I don't know," Jack replied, clenching his fist. "But we will. There must be some way to earn a lot of money quickly."

Jack turned and started walking away from the terminal. It seemed like it was always one thing after another. Part of him was once again starting to despair of ever rescuing his friends, but he forced it down. He refused to give up.

Heedless of whether Nova and Razgriz were following him, and not caring much either way, Jack wandered through Hearthome City looking for any likely sources of quick cash. He didn't have much luck. No normal job could get him the kind of money he needed in anywhere near a short enough time. There were casinos and lotteries but, besides most of them being a little too shady for his liking, Jack had heard horror stories about people who had wasted a lot more money on gambling than he currently had and failing to win a penny. Besides, something about gambling just didn't sit right with his conscience.

Jack wandered further and further, until eventually he heard a voice. "Hey, kid."

Jack glanced up to see a man walking up to him. The man was middle-aged and thin as a beanpole, although he was barely taller than Jack. He had a shock of steel-grey hair, and piercing hazel eyes that seemed to be appraising Jack like a collector might appraise an expensive work of art. He was wearing plain clothes that didn't give Jack any clues as to who he might be.

"Who, me?" Jack replied. He had decided to forego his normal robes for less conspicuous clothing, so he doubted that the man could have recognized him.

The man nodded. "Yeah. You seem like you could use some cash, and quick. That about right?"

Jack furrowed his brow. "And if I do, what then?"

The man chuckled. "Suspicious? Good, you should be. Still, I assure you my intentions are honest. Forgive me if I'm wrong, but you seem like you could handle yourself in a fight. I was just wondering if you'd like an opportunity to put your skills to use, and make a lot of money doing it. Don't worry," he added, seeing Jack's expression. "It's completely legitimate. You won't be breaking any laws. Interested?"

Jack would've been lying if he said he wasn't. "I'm listening."

"It's just a little tournament," the man continued, gesturing with his hands for emphasis. "People come from all over Sinnoh to compete. Martial artists, boxers, wrestlers, it's like a big contest of skill to see who's the best. Matches are assigned at random, and for each one you win you get a prize based on whether people think you're going to win or not. The more the odds are stacked against you, the more money you make if you win."

Jack nodded. "Okay… and I can leave at any time?"

"Yup," the man replied. "As soon as you've got enough to do whatever it is you want to do."

"And what do you get out of it?" Jack asked, somewhat pointedly.

The man chuckled. "Sharp as a razor, aren't you. That's good. Yes, I do get something out of it. As your 'recruiter', I get twenty-five percent of your total earnings. Of course, if you don't like that number it's open for negotiation. Just keep in mind that I have to eat too."

Jack shrugged. "Twenty-five percent is fine."

"Does that mean you're in?" the man asked, raising an eyebrow.

Jack was silent for a moment, then nodded. "It certainly sounds intriguing. I'll give it a try, but you said I can leave at any time and I'll hold you to that."

The man nodded. "Fair enough." He then smiled and held out his hand to Jack. "You can call me Snake-Eyes, or just Snake for short. It's a nickname I picked up in the business. How about you?"

Jack hesitated a moment, then shook Snake's outstretched hand. "You can call me Storm."

Snake chuckled. "Well now. That's a pretty grand title, and for some reason I get the feeling you'll live up to it. Anyway, do you have a place to stay? Well then," he continued as Jack shook his head, "The tournament does provide simple living quarters to contestants who are from out of town."

"Well that's good," Jack replied, although he furrowed his brow as he thought about Nova and Razgriz.

Snake seemed to sense his thoughts. "I see you're a trainer," he said, gesturing towards the belt of Pokéballs at his waist. "If you're worried about your Pokémon, don't be. You can bring them along. You just can't get any help from them during the match."

Jack nodded. "Fair enough. So, where is this tournament?"

"It's hosted in an underground arena," Snake told him, "So as not to disturb the peace. I can lead you right to it."

"Alright then," Jack replied. "Can you wait here a moment though? I need to do something real quick."

Snake nodded, and leaned up against a nearby building. "Sure. I'll be right here."

Jack walked a ways back and stopped behind a small advertisement sign then sent out a mental probe to see where Nova and Razgriz were. The two Pokémon were not too far behind Jack. Razgriz was looking in their general direction with a slight scowl on his face. Nova was a bit more distracted, looking at a nearby flower bed.

Jack waved them over, sending a quick telepathic message. " _I found something."_

" _And what might that be? Based on what I overheard, it sounds quite shady,"_ Razgriz stated, slightly skeptical about this situation.

" _It seems like a pretty easy way to get the money we need."_ Jack countered.

" _Easy or not, I still think it sounds shady…"_ Razgriz replied, still highly doubtful of this Snake character.

Jack sighed. " _I know… but he seems nice, and I didn't sense him planning anything underhanded. At any rate, I don't intend to use my superhuman abilities. Might as well fight them fair and square. Plus, if anything shady is going on, it might get them to underestimate me. Don't worry, I'm not going to just blunder into some sort of trap."_

" _A guy who doesn't give his real name and who works in an underground fighting ring… yeah, absolutely nothing underhanded about that…"_ Razgriz retorted rolling his eyes.

Jack also rolled his eyes as well. " _I never said it wasn't suspicious, but I also don't think he's lying to me. I didn't sense any lies from him at least."_

" _I never said that he was lying, just that this entire fight rings sounds… oh what is that human word… illegal?"_ Razgriz replied as he crossed his arms across his chest.

Jack blinked. " _You, concerned about things being legal? Will wonders never cease…"_

" _I couldn't care less about human laws, but last I checked you did,"_ Razgriz said.

" _Yes, I do,"_ Jack replied with a nod. " _And that's another reason I can't just pass this up. If there is something illegal going on, I could provide the police with valuable information."_

" _That is more like it,"_ Razgriz said with a smirk.

Jack rolled his eyes again. " _Anyway, come on. Let's not keep our benefactor waiting."_

He walked back towards the spot where Snake was waiting, with Nova and Razgriz following him.

"Alright," Jack said. "We're ready."

Snake nodded. "Alrighty then. Follow me."

He then headed off down the street, not even bothering to check if they were following him. Jack glanced at Nova and Razgriz and shrugged, then darted after the man. The two Pokémon followed behind him.

Nova was looking around as they progressed further into the alleyway. Razgriz kept his eyes on Snake, not trusting the strange human. He closed his eyes for a second as his tendrils on the back of his head were surrounded in purple aura as they briefly floated. A small frown made its way across his muzzle. Something about Snake's aura seemed… off. It was very faint, but it almost felt like he wasn't fully human.

" _Jack…"_ Razgriz started as he opened his eyes. " _Have you looked at his aura?"_

Jack furrowed his brow, then glanced back at Snake for a moment. " _What about it?"_

" _Can you not see that it is not normal?"_ Razgriz asked, a bit curious.

" _Not normal…?"_ Jack replied in complete incomprehension. " _How so?"_

" _Let's just say it isn't entirely… human,"_ Razgriz answered.

Jack blinked. " _Really… so then what is it?"_

" _I am not sure… not like anything I have seen,"_ Razgriz said, shaking his head.

" _I see… well, I can't see anything unusual so I'll have to take your word for it. Still, this means that whatever else he is, he's no run-of-the-mill con artist,"_ Jack replied thoughtfully. " _Would you mind keeping me posted on any new developments?"_

" _Of course,"_ Razgriz started before glancing towards Snake. " _As I have already said, I don't trust him or anything he has to offer."_

" _Noted,"_ Jack said evenly.

Snake led them all the way through the alley and onto the main streets again, then on a winding route through the city until they came to a rather classy-looking hotel. Jack raised an eyebrow as Snake strolled right in as if he owned the place. The man at the front desk took one look at Snake, glanced at Jack and the two Pokémon, and waved them through.

"Not what I was expecting…" Razgriz muttered as they passed through the building.

"Neither was I…" Nova said in agreement based on what she had gathered while Jack and Razgriz had been talking.

"Same," Jack agreed.

Snake led them through a large main room towards an elevator. Snake called it down and then boarded it, motioning for Jack, Nova, and Razgriz to follow him.

Jack stepped into the elevator with him, now very curious indeed as to what this tournament was all about. Nova and Razgriz were equally curious as well. This was easily the nicest building they had ever been in and it did not fit the description of any sort of fight ring.

Snake took out a key from his jacket pocket and opened a small panel on the wall of the elevator. Behind this panel was a single button, which he pressed. The elevator then began to descend, although to where Jack could only guess.

Eventually, the elevator decelerated and then stopped. The doors opened, and Snake led them out into a hallway that was lit with electric lamps on either side. The hallway soon split into three, and Snake led them down the middle path which eventually led to a large room. The room was set up like a movie theater, with tiered rows of seats facing a thick pane of glass that served as the far wall.

Snake nodded towards the glass wall. "Take a look. That's where all the magic happens."

Jack went over and looked out the window, and drew in a sharp breath. The window looked out upon an enormous circular arena, the floor of which was a good ten feet below them and the domed ceiling reaching ten feet above. The entire cavernous room looked as though it had been carved out of solid rock, and a layer of packed dirt had been laid down as the floor.

Nova and Razgriz looked around the set up. It would have taken several large machines or ground type Pokémon. Maybe even both. Needless to say that it would have taken a lot of time and effort to create this underground complex.

"Wow…" Jack stated simply.

Snake grinned smugly. "So, are you convinced now that this isn't some illegal fight club, and that I'm not a con artist?"

Jack blinked, feeling ashamed and rather foolish. "I never said anything like that."

Snake gave him a strange look. "No, but you thought it. You," he then glanced at Nova and Razgriz, "And your friends there too. And don't try to tell me you didn't."

Razgriz simply crossed his arms under his chest spike and glared at the human. Nova just shrugged her shoulders, having not really been a part of the conversation at that moment.

"I'm sorry for being suspicious," Jack apologized. Razgriz let out a grunt and rolled his eyes, not sharing Jack's sympathy.

Snake snorted slightly. "Don't be. A healthy dose of suspicion can keep you alive. If I'd been in your shoes, I'd have been pretty suspicious too. I mean," he then smiled ruefully, "I am a pretty shifty-looking character, and my nickname probably didn't do much to inspire trust either. Still, believe me when I say that this establishment is government approved. Although, admittedly, we are still underground; in more ways than one."

Jack furrowed his brow. "How come?"

"Well…" Snake hesitated a moment, as if trying to come up with the right way to phrase his response. "I guess the only way to really explain it is, this tournament was created by fighters, for fighters. It's a place where people go to test their skills, and the skills of others. But… well, there are some people who aren't keen on broadcasting their abilities to the world so it's a private show. Entrance into the tournament is by invitation only and only other combatants, current or former, can watch the fights. It's an unspoken rule that what happens here stays here, and what happens outside gets left at the front door. Unless of course you're a certified recruiter, which I am."

Jack took a moment to process the massive load of information that was being dumped into his head. "So… the fights here aren't broadcast at all?"

Snake shook his head. "There are a few people who get fights streamed live to them. Once again though, only former combatants."

"So then… you called yourself a recruiter," Jack observed. "So your job is to bring new people into the tournament?"

"Bingo," Snake affirmed. "The system may seem a little counter-intuitive, but it's worked well thus far. Mainly because, at the end of the day, the people running it are concerned with more than just turning a profit. Which they do anyway, thanks to the hotel above us."

Jack nodded. "Alright then… I guess I just have one more question."

"Fire away," Snake said.

"What kind of opponents will I be facing?" he asked, looking Snake in the eyes.

Snake chuckled wryly. "Very skilled ones. I wouldn't let your guard down if I were you. But aside from that, I'll brief you a little more when we actually know who you'll be facing. First off, we need to get you registered for a match."

"Is there some sort of special badge I need?" Jack commented, with only a hint of sarcasm. "A license maybe?"

Snake gave him an odd look. "No, but you do have to sign up. Otherwise, how do they even know you want to fight?"

Jack shrugged. "Fair point."

"Now then," the recruiter continued, "Let's go get you signed up, then I'll show you all to your room. For a combatant, room and board is half-price."

Jack glanced at Nova and Razgriz. " _Do you guys want your own room again?"_

" _Sure, though not too far from you. We aren't exactly accustomed to cities…"_ Razgriz replied. Nova nodded her head in agreement.

" _Okay then,"_ Jack replied. Out loud he said, "Alright then, lead on."

They followed Snake back up the elevator to the main lobby of the hotel, then to a small office off to one side that said 'manager' on the door. There Jack met with an elderly man sporting a rather impressing moustache, who had him sign a form which stated the tournament was not liable for any injuries sustained during a scheduled match. With that out of the way, the manager said he'd find Jack a match at the earliest convenience.

Having signed up, Jack then headed back to the front desk to book a two-bedroom suite; one for himself, and one for Nova and Razgriz. He still had enough money left to pay for a week's lodgings, although even at half-price the suite was rather expensive. If everything went as well as Snake said it would however, he'd make that money back several times over with his first match alone.

Not seeing anything else he could do besides wait, Jack led Nova and Razgriz up to their new suite. The accommodations were much nicer than any of them were used to, not that Nova or Razgriz particularly cared. The two Pokémon then went over into their own room that was connected to the main living area. Jack's room was on the other side of the room.

Jack, being quite used to this lifestyle by now, quickly unpacked the things he'd need in the next few days and left the rest in his bags. Then, not really having anything else to do at the moment, he grabbed his bible and flopped down onto the bed to read for a while.

After a few minutes, there was a knock at his door. He furrowed his brow a little as he got up, wondering who it could be. Upon entering the living room, he saw Razgriz closing the door to their room. He opened the door, and one of his eyebrows went up as he saw that it was Snake.

"Oh, it's you," he commented.

"I hope this isn't a bad time," the recruiter said apologetically. "I just wanted to brief you on what to expect with your first match."

Jack nodded. "It's fine, come on in. Do you know who my first opponent will be already?"

Snake shook his head as he stepped into the room and leaned against the wall. "No, your first match hasn't even been scheduled yet. Still, there are some things you should know before you even step into the ring."

"Go on," Jack prompted.

"First off, you already know where your money is going to be coming from correct?" Snake asked rhetorically. "Well, your first match is the best chance you'll get to make a lot of money quickly. Especially if you're as strong as I think you are. The whole thing about the gambling system is that people will put their money on whoever they think has the best chance of winning. Of course there will always be a few who put their money on a new face just in case, but for the most part…"

"They don't know how strong I am," Jack finished, catching on. "So they'll play it safe and bet on the guy they already know."

Snake nodded, grinning. "Exactly. But here's the thing, most of the betting actually goes on _during_ the match. So if you want the maximum amount of people to bet against you, the best trick is to pretend to lose at first."

Jack blinked. "So… you're saying I should hold back at first. It'll look like I'm outmatched, and even more people will bet against me. And," he continued, thinking of something else, "I'll probably want to make it look like I won by the skin of my teeth so they'll bet against me the next time too."

"Exactly," Snake replied with a chuckle. "You catch on quick. Are you sure you haven't done this before?"

Jack shrugged, a smirk tugging at one corner of his mouth. "Well, I'm no stranger to fighting. Although having people bet on whether or not I'll win is a new experience for me."

Snake nodded. "Fair enough. Anyway as you've probably guessed already, in this place showmanship is almost as important as actual strength. To make the most money not only do you have to beat your opponent, you have to keep your audience guessing as to whether or not you'll be able to pull it off. I will say one thing though, I have no idea who they'll match you up against first. It probably won't be anyone too dangerous, but if you ever feel for a second like he's actually going to beat you, stop holding back. You won't make a red cent if you lose."

"Noted," Jack replied, but then he furrowed his brow. "But still, isn't a fake-out like that a bit of a simple trick to rely on? I mean, won't people be wise to it by now and be looking for signs that a combatant is deliberately holding back?"

Snake nodded. "To a certain extent. The old pros will be for sure, so you'll have to make it look good. And like I said, there will always be a few who'll bet on you just on the off chance that you're good for it. Still, you'd be surprised how effective 'simple tricks' can be when you pull them off right."

Jack nodded. "Fair enough."

"Aside from that," Snake said, scratching the back of his head, "There's nothing much you need to know up front. Your first match will probably be either the day after tomorrow, or the day after that. After your first match though, if you do well and you're up to it, you can count on a match every day or two. At that pace, once again depending on how well you do, you should be able to make the kind of money you need inside of a week or two."

Jack furrowed his brow, and not for the first time the thought of waiting even a week or two left a bad taste in his mouth. For all he know, in that week his Pokémon could have…

" _No,"_ he told himself. " _Don't think like that. They'll be fine. I_ will _save them. And besides, Snake is right. Outside of stealing it, there's no way I could make enough money in less time than this."_

"So," he said aloud. "Just to clarify, if I pack up and leave one day and never come back…"

"As long as you're not scheduled for a match at the time," Snake affirmed, "That's absolutely fine. You can leave any time."

Jack nodded. "Alright. Thanks."

Snake got up and headed for the door. "I'll come up and tell you when your first match has been decided. Until then, relax and get plenty of rest. You'll need it if you intend to make the most of your time once the matches begin."

"I will, thanks again," Jack said as Snake walked out of the room and closed the door behind himself.

Jack flopped back down onto his bed again, and went back to reading. If Snake's prediction was correct, these next few days would be the longest of his life.

* * *

Me: Yeah… I've got nothing.

Osean: yeah… me either….

Razgriz: you are both horrible people.

Nova: we were beginning to think you had forgotten about us.

Jack: Despite how hard that would be…

Me: Okay, we admit it. We slacked off again, and we're really sorry.

Osean: I would say more than slacked off… I would say I am mostly to blame as it took me far too long to get my half of this ready… For that, I offer my humblest apologies, to both Jack and you guys.

Jack: Careful, you're starting to sound Canadian...

Osean: Careful, them is fightin' words

Me: Woah there Yosimite. It's not wabbit season yet.

Osean: but it is always hog season here in Texas.

Me: In all seriousness though, it's not entirely your fault. I didn't exactly twist your arm to get the chapter finished, so as far as I'm concerned we're in this together.

Osean: Thanks Jack.

Jack: How noble of you. Personally, it suits me fine. This'll be much more fun with two… *pulls out a bucket of tar and a bag of feathers*

Me: ...welp, you're on your own Osean. Good luck and fair seas.

Osean: Hey! You cannot tar and feather an American! We bloody invented that! Tar and feather the Canadian, he is the Brit descendent!

Jack: Hmm… let's put it to a vote. Nova, Razgriz?

Nova: Both?

Razgriz: Both.

Osean: traitors….

Jack: Well then, I guess that makes it unanimous… *cackles maniacally*

Osean: run away?

Me: Pull a brave Sir Robin.

Jack: Come back here you rascally authors!


	38. New challenges, old questions

Jack stared at his opponent, and he couldn't help but feel a hint of doubt. Snake had briefed him before the match, and his description had been right on. To be blunt, the man looked like a shaved ape in a leotard. He was about seven feet of pure muscle. As he flexed, Jack could've sworn the man had biceps on his biceps.

Still, Jack could tell that the least-used muscle in the man's body was between his ears. Snake had told him that his opponent was a highly skilled professional wrestler, who had a record of even taking on fighting-type Pokémon. Jack hadn't been told whether the man had won any of those fights, but looking at him now it wasn't hard to believe. One thing Jack was completely sure of, he wouldn't have any trouble making the fight look good.

" _The rules of the fight are very simple,"_ Snake had told him before the match. " _If you're knocked out, or the refs deem you unable to continue fighting, you lose. You can tap out at any time. Also, I don't know if I need to tell you this, but keep it nonlethal."_

"'Nonlethal', he tells me…" Jack muttered under his breath. "That guy could probably snap my spine with his bare hands, and he looks just about mean enough to do it..."

Jack once again examined the arena around him. The walls were solid rock, with plenty of ominous cracks, dents, and burn marks. The floor was hard, packed sawdust. It was solid to walk on, but wouldn't be as unforgiving as rock or concrete to land on. The arena was completely empty besides him, and his opponent. Above him to his left was the window for spectators, through which he could see Nova and Razgriz watching him.

They stared each other down for a moment before the match started. Jack could see confidence in the other man's eyes, but it was the sort of confidence people had right before they did something really stupid. He wasn't particularly worried about winning, he could win easily. The trick would be holding back enough to make it look good, without letting his opponent snap him like a twig.

He sighed. No point whining about it now that he was in the ring. He'd just have to test the waters a bit first to see exactly what he was up against. The bell would ring any second now.

Then it rang, and any thought of testing the waters went right out the window. The wrestler broke into a flat out sprint, looking as though he'd been fired from a cannon as he thundered towards Jack with a speed that seemed impossible for such a large object. Jack barely had enough time to fling himself to the right in the mere seconds it took for the larger man to close the distance between them.

Jack rolled quickly to his feet, and was just in time to leap backwards as the wrestler's arm shot out like a striking snake to grab him. Jack was quick to put a little more distance between them once again, and he then watched his opponent carefully; wary of another thundering charge like the first.

The man turned to face him, and Jack furrowed his brow as he saw the expression on the man's face. Gone was the facade of dumb overconfidence, as the man now regarded him with a look of respect. Not only was the wrestler more intelligent than he looked, he knew exactly what kind of reflexes and speed it had taken for Jack to avoid his first two attacks. In two moves he had assessed Jack's speed, and forced him on the defensive. Jack gritted his teeth as he realized that he'd severely underestimated the wrestler's skill.

The man barely gave Jack time to catch his breath, charging right after him again. Jack was ready for it this time however, and quickly darted to the left; ducking low to keep the wrestler from grabbing him. He then quickly turned on his heel, planning to swing his other leg around and knock the larger man off his feet while he was off-balance. He pivoted just in time to see the wrestler swing his arm in a vicious backhand which slammed into Jack's chest like a battering ram.

Jack was flung backwards like a ragdoll, and crashed into the unforgiving rock of the arena wall before falling to the ground. He lay there for a moment, his ribs aching and head pounding, but he knew he couldn't afford to stay down for long. He didn't want the refs to decide he was unable to continue fighting.

He got slowly to his feet, each breath making his torso feel like it was on fire, and regarded his opponent. The larger man seemed slightly surprised to see him standing, and Jack didn't blame him. If not for his aura reinforcing his body, that blow definitely would've broken bones at the very least. Still, Jack was in no way incapacitated and he figured it was high time he started fighting back.

Gathering his aura, Jack decided to take a page from his opponent's handbook and charged headlong at the larger man. The wrestler blinked in mild surprise, and then widened his stance slightly for more stability.

Jack closed the distance between them in seconds, and Jack saw the wrestler shift his weight forward; obviously preparing to intercept him. Jack knew a counter-attack was coming, and he ducked to his right at the last moment to avoid it. He felt a surge of satisfaction as he felt the wrestler's right arm pass mere inches above him.

Now in the perfect striking position, Jack planted his right foot on the ground and pushed off; straightening his body like a spring. With the full mass of his body behind the blow, he slammed his left shoulder up into the larger man's midriff with enough force to raise his feet off the ground and send him flying back several feet.

Jack grinned and worked his arm in a circle, as the impact had been a little hard on his shoulder. He initially hoped the wrestler would stay down for the count, and he was a little disappointed when his opponent got up almost immediately. Even more disappointingly, the larger man barely seemed fazed by the hit he'd taken.

Jack frowned slightly, but knew he had to press his advantage. His opponent was a wrestler, not a martial artist, so Jack figured the larger man would probably keep trying to grapple with him and get him into a lock. If that happened, Jack knew he'd have a hard time getting out.

" _This would be way easier if I could use lightning…"_ he thought ruefully, but he knew he couldn't afford to show his hand just yet. He'd just have to be careful.

He closed in on the larger man once more, this time maintaining a fighter's crouch and opening with a vicious right hook. The wrestler knocked it aside and tried to grab him, but Jack danced backwards a couple paces just in time. Then, while the larger man was slightly off-balance, he darted in again and landed a left jab to the stomach and another right hook to the jaw.

The wrestler stumbled a little but recovered quickly. He made another quick grab for Jack, but the boy had already darted back out of range again. Jack repeated the process again, this time feinting another left jab before delivering a solid right cross with an aura-charged palm to the chest; throwing his opponent back a few feet.

Jack grinned in satisfaction as he saw that the larger man was a little slower getting up this time. Obviously there was a limit to the wrestler's endurance, and Jack felt no small amount of relief to know they were approaching it. He continued to take advantage of his momentum, keeping up an almost constant barrage of attacks as he tried to wear down his opponent quickly.

Eventually however, Jack made a mistake. Going in for a more substantial attack, hoping to finish the match there and then, Jack left himself open for a split second too long. He suddenly felt the larger man's fist connect with the side of his head, setting his ears ringing and causing his eyes to unfocus for a moment.

When Jack's sight and hearing had returned to normal, he realized that his opponent had him pinned to the ground in a headlock. He struggled, but the larger man was putting all his weight down onto Jack's chest and keeping him pinned down. Jack could feel his ribs groaning in protest already, and he knew he had to get out of the hold quickly or the match would be over.

"Just give up," the wrestler grunted quietly at him to Jack's surprise, sounding almost apologetic. "It's over. You're good, but you'll never get out of this. I'd rather not injure someone as skilled as you."

Jack gritted his teeth in frustration. "It's not… over yet!"

He suddenly strained against the wrestler with all his strength, confident that he'd be able to overpower his opponent. To his shock however, he found himself unable to so much as budge the wrestler's steel-like limbs; even with force that would've snapped most people's arms like twigs. He was starting to get short on breath, but he couldn't afford to lose! He needed to get enough money to go after his friends, and he wasn't going to let some shaved ape stop him!

Without thinking, Jack discharged a spark directly into his opponent. The larger man's muscles spasmed slightly, giving Jack the opportunity he needed to plant his elbow into his opponent's midriff; knocking the breath right out of the man's lungs. Jack felt the grip around his head loosen and he took advantage of it, practically flipping himself head-over-heels as he made one last, desperate struggle for freedom. Stunned and winded, the wrestler couldn't hold on tight enough and Jack quickly rolled to safety before getting quickly to his feet.

Jack took a few seconds to catch his breath, and the wrestler did the same. They then regarded each other with a newfound wariness of the other's abilities. That last engagement had taken a lot out of both of them. Jack for one knew he had to wrap this up quickly, and he was guessing that his opponent was thinking along the same lines. This next clash would decide the match.

Before Jack could move, the wrestler took the initiative and rushed forward in another thundering charge. To Jack's shock, the larger man moved even faster than the first time; accelerating far more quickly than Jack would've thought possible for such a large object, and closing the distance between them in a heartbeat.

Finding himself with only a split second to react, and with the enormous wrestler bearing down on him, Jack did the only thing he could think of that might catch his opponent by surprise. He charged straight ahead.

The wrestler's arms, outstretched to catch him if he dodged to the left or right, whistled past Jack's head a fraction of a second too late. Bracing himself against the ground with one leg, Jack slammed his shoulder up into wrestler's chest from below. While Jack might've lost in a contest of pure strength, he had the advantage of traction since he was being pushed down into the ground allowing him to use the full strength of his body; but his opponent, unable to apply any more force than the sheer momentum of his charge and the weight of his body, was flung up and backwards like a ragdoll.

Jack could've sworn the ground shook as the wrestler landed flat on his back and rolled several meters before coming to a stop. Jack felt genuine fear as the man slowly started to get up, but the effort proved too much and the wrestler fell back to the ground; out cold. Jack stood numbly as the referee counted to ten.

"The match is over!" the announcer said over the PA system after the count finished. "Storm wins by TKO!"

Jack breathed a sigh of relief as a team of medics rushed down into the arena to provide first-aid to both him and the wrestler. After assuring them that he was fine, Jack asked them whether his opponent would be alright.

"He'll be fine," the head doctor told him after they'd finished their examination of the unconscious man. "You cracked a couple of his ribs, and he'll have a mild concussion, but nothing that a little rest won't fix."

Jack nodded, relieved. "Good… thanks."

As Jack walked out of the arena, still somewhat drained from coming down off the massive adrenaline rush, he went over the fight again in his head. He was still stunned at how strong and fast his opponent had been. He was tempted to call it superhuman, although he knew that some martial artists could build up their auras to incredible levels without knowing it; giving them seemingly superhuman physical abilities. He supposed that, seeing as this tournament was for the best of the best, he should probably count on facing combatants with auras rivalling his own.

He made his way to the dressing room on his side of the arena. The room had a shower on one side, and he took a moment to wash himself off. He then quickly ran his robes under the water, and true to form the dirt and sweat simply beaded up and fell off leaving the robes as clean as the day he'd first worn them. By this point it didn't even surprise him any more, although he took a moment to reminisce about simpler times when it was just him and Jason wandering around looking for adventure.

He chuckled ruefully. If someone back then had told him everything that would happen to him and Jason on their journey, he'd have called them crazy…

He felt something warm trickle down his cheek, and he wiped it away. He had to stop thinking like those days were over. After he rescued his friends, things could go back to normal. He had to believe that.

He sighed, quickly putting his robes back on and heading out of the dressing room. Nova and Razgriz were waiting for him as he exited. Nova was leaning up against Razgriz's shoulder with her eyes closed happily humming a song as the two of them waited for Jack to exit.

"All things considered, that could have gone better," Razgriz said as Jack walked up to them.

Jack nodded. "Yeah… I'll be honest, he took me by surprise. Every time I thought I had him figured out, he stepped it up another notch; and he was insanely strong… I think he was holding back at first too."

"I haven't seen any of the other fighters here, but I have a theory based on what I saw during your fight," Razgriz started as Nova stopped leaning on his shoulder and started paying attention to the conversation. "Nova agrees with me on this as well."

Jack furrowed his brow, suddenly interested as well. "Go on."

"This fight ring… It is most likely full of people like you and the guy you fought against. Didn't you find it a bit strange that 'Snake' singled you out so fast?" Razgriz asked as he crossed his arms under his chest spike.

Jack blinked. "You're saying… the competitors here are like me? Do you think that finding out more about them might help me find out who… or _what_ I am?"

Razgriz let out a sigh and dropped his arms to his side and shook his head. "Honestly Jack, I don't know too much about you or humans in general. I do know that Snake is not telling us everything about this place though."

Jack thought about it for a moment, then nodded. "Yeah… I get that feeling too. I'll ask him about it. Who knows… maybe I actually will find out something about myself after all."

Jack started to head back to his room, but winced as his bruised ribs protested. His adrenaline rush had worn off completely by now, and he was completely exhausted; not to mention sore.

"But first," he continued, "I think I saw a hot tub over there… you two wanna come?"

The two Pokémon looked at each other. Being wild Pokémon they didn't interact with human inventions all too often. Jack saw their confusion, and quickly explained.

"It's like a hot-spring," he said. "It's really relaxing, and it's supposed to be good for your health or something."

"Sure…" Razgriz started before looking over at Nova.

"I think that actually sounds rather nice," the Zoroark replied.

Jack grinned. "Great. I'll just go get my swimsuit. Be right back."

With that he hobbled off towards the elevator. After changing into his swim trunks, an action which his ribs protested quite vehemently, he went back downstairs to the pool/hot tub area. Nova and Razgriz waited for Jack to return before following him to the large room. Upon entering, both Pokémon scrunched up their noses.

"What is the horrible smell?" Razgriz asked as he recoiled slightly.

Jack blinked, then winced apologetically. "Ah… that'd be chlorine. It's to keep the pools clean."

"How does something that smells so bad keep anything clean?" Nova inquired, though the initial shock of the smell hadn't worn off completely.

Jack considered explaining it to them, but felt it would be best not to mention that they'd be swimming in something that literally ripped organic material to shreds. Instead he just shrugged.

"Long story short, it kills things that make people sick," he told them. He then added as an afterthought, "And probably any bugs or parasites in your fur."

"Hey!" Both Nova and Razgriz said in unison as they glared at Jack.

"We groom our fur quite regularly, thank you," Nova finished.

Jack blinked, then smirked wryly. "Oh, of course. Sorry. I guess it helps having someone to get your back."

"Humans…." Razgriz muttered under his breath as the three of them made their way to the hot tub.

Jack slipped into the tub slowly, letting out a sigh of relief as he sank into the hot water up to his neck. "Ahh… that feels good…"

Nova and Razgriz slowly got in after Jack did. Each of them starting off with a hind paw before pulling it back out as the water was a bit warmer than they had expected. Eventually the two of them were up to their shoulders in the water with Nova leaning against Razgriz.

Jack grinned. "So, how is it?"

"It is... Interesting," Razgriz replied though Nova looked like she was enjoying herself far more than her mate was.

"I think it feels amazing," the Zoroark replied.

Jack nodded. "Yep… I agree with you on that one."

"Though, if you really want, I could just use my aura to heal you?" Nova offered as she glanced over at Jack.

"She is uncannily good at that if I might add," Razgriz added in.

Jack shook his head. "No thanks. Not that I doubt your abilities, but my injuries aren't really worth it. They're mostly just painful, but the hot tub is already helping with that and I've always been a fast healer. I'll be good as new in no time."

"Suit yourself, it really is my specialty though," Nova said with a shrug.

Jack chuckled. "Trust me. If I ever get anything more serious than bruised ribs, I'll be sure and tell you."

Nova just nodded her head before closing her eyes and going back to leaning against Razgriz and quietly humming a song. Razgriz joined her in the melody of the song after a bit. After a while, they got out and went back to their room. Jack eagerly curled up on the bed, planning on getting plenty of rest while he could.

Jack wasn't sure how long he dozed off for, but he awoke to the sound of someone knocking on the door. He got up, figuring it was probably Snake. He was proven correct as he opened the door, and the recruiter waved.

"Evening," Snake said. "That looked like one hell of a match."

Jack nodded. "It certainly was at that… how did I do?"

Snake grinned. "It was a thing of beauty; as close a match as they come, at least from what I could see. I for one was on the edge of my seat until the very end; a couple of times there it looked like you were done for. Good job."

Jack felt somewhat relieved. "Thanks. Honestly though, I wasn't holding back nearly as much as you seem to think… that guy was insanely strong."

Snake nodded. "Yeah, looked like it. I mean, he was a professional wrestler."

Jack hesitated a moment, then sighed; looking Snake in the eyes. "Is that all that made him so strong…? Because it seemed to me that he was stronger than almost anyone I've ever fought; stronger than any human should be…"

Snake chuckled. "Well, you should get used to it. He is just a human though, that much I can tell you. From what I heard, he's trained his whole life against Pokémon to become stronger. Still, you'd better get used to facing strong opponents. While there aren't many people in the tournament right now who could match his raw physical strength, overall he's not even close to being the strongest competitor."

Jack furrowed his brow. "I see… can you tell me anything more?"

Snake shrugged. "Nothing you don't already know, or that you won't find out soon enough."

Jack snorted. "A lot of help you are…"

"Well, I can't make things too easy for you now can I?" Snake replied with a wry smirk. "Anyway, get some rest. I'd say you've earned it."

Snake then walked back down the hallway, and Jack sighed. "Oh well… he'll have to tell me eventually."

Jack turned around, closing the door behind himself as he went back over to his bed and flopped down on it intending to go back to sleep. After a moment however, he heard the sound of a Pokéball releasing its occupant. He was not in the least bit surprised when, a few seconds later, Katia hopped up onto his bed and looked down at him.

"You're back?" the Vulpix asked.

Jack smirked slightly. "Nope, and I certainly didn't get back quite a while ago…"

"Okay, okay," she replied, rolling her eyes.

"Were you taking a nap or something?" Jack asked.

Katia shook her head. "No, I was just exploring. It's huge in there!"

Jack chuckled ruefully. "You've been exploring the Pack ever since I showed it to you. Haven't you seen everything yet?"

She shook her head. "Nope, there's so much I don't think I'm even halfway done! And besides," she got close to him and whispered in his ear conspiratorially. "I'm looking for secrets…"

Jack barely managed to hold back a snort of laughter. "Secrets…? What kind of secrets do you think you're gonna find?"

Katia assumed a look of injured dignity. "Well, there could be all sorts of things. It's a virtual world after all, so people could've programmed in all sorts of stuff. There could be secret rooms, or floating islands, or trapdoors to hidden tunnels… no?"

Jack shrugged. "Well, I suppose there might be. I don't know. I only ever went in there a few times, but I can't think of what anyone would've wanted to hide…"

Katia snickered. "But that means there could be something, right?"

Jack considered it for a moment, then made a gesture of resignation. "Yeah, I guess there could be."

"Ha, I knew it!" the Vulpix exclaimed eagerly. "And if there is, I'm gonna find it!" Suddenly, she yawned and blinked thoughtfully. "But maybe… after a nap."

Jack chuckled. "That's probably a good idea."

The little fox Pokémon walked around the bed looking for the perfect spot to curl up, before eventually deciding that Jack's chest was the blatantly obvious choice. Jack winced and groaned quietly as Katia stepped on him, her paws digging painfully into his midriff for a moment before she curled up and distributed her weight more evenly. The Vulpix then yawned, curling her fluffy tails around herself as she settled down.

Jack snorted quietly. "Best seat in the house…?"

Katia snickered, but didn't answer. Jack eventually brought one hand up to gently pet her head, which she encouraged with a quiet 'murring' noise. Jack chuckled, figuring it'd be mean of him to make her move now. He might as well let her have a nap.

For some reason, he found himself thinking that Lucy couldn't have tried to do this without squishing him. His smile faded as he realized how much the Vulpix reminded him of Lucy. He mentally reprimanded himself, knowing that thought was unworthy of either of them. Katia wasn't a replacement for Lucy; they were each their own person, and someday he would introduce them to each other.

He sighed. " _I'm getting closer to finding them,"_ he told himself, but it was hard to really convince himself of that. Still, there wasn't really anything else he could do.

"I might be able to make the return trip though," he muttered ruefully to himself. "I'll have to test that…"

Katia yawned, glancing at him questioningly. He shook his head. "Never mind, go back to sleep," he told her.

She shrugged and did as he said. Jack sighed, closing his eyes and resolving to get some rest himself. He'd need to recover as quickly as he could if he wanted to have another match tomorrow.

* * *

Me: Well… we got it out faster than the last one.

Jack: That's not hard.

Osean: count your blessing as you are made up of nothing but 1s and 0s.

Jack: …

Jack: I know where you live.

Osean: No, you do not.

Me: Careful Osean. At this rate you're going to incur the wrath of the Canadians. Snowstorms for days.

Osean: we already had our snow storm of the year, too late for that.

Me: Anyway, this is the part of the program where we thank all you readers for putting up with our hit-and-miss upload schedule.

Jack: ...and grovel and beg for reviews and favs to inflate our egos.

Me: …

Me: I'm trying to come up with a withering retort, but nothing's coming… little help Osean?

Osean: Sorry, no can do. You are a scheming Canadian, who cannot be trusted.

Me: Et tu Brute...

Osean: all you have to do is tell me what you are planning.

Me: …

Jack: Well?

Me: NEVER!

Osean: I hate your guts.


	39. The second rule

Jack worked his arm in a circle, stretching out the muscles in his shoulder and making sure everything was in working order. His ribs had healed quickly with lots of rest and a little aura, and he was loath to wait any longer for his next fight. He'd already got his cut of the profit from his last fight, and it was a staggering figure. He'd held suspicions before about Snake's claim of quick money, but at this rate he really would have enough in a week or two. Especially if he could keep playing to the crowd and making them bet against him.

" _Of course,"_ he thought to himself, " _If the other competitors are as powerful as the wrestler, or even more so, then I may not have to do much acting to make it look like a close match…"_

He shook his head, dismissing that thought. He'd survived a full-fledged war, complete with apocalyptically powerful mutant Pokémon; and that was just the most recent in a long series of supernatural, death-defying adventures he'd walked into. He wouldn't be beaten in some martial arts tournament.

After breakfast, Jack signed up for a match on an 'as soon as possible' basis. They told him that there was already someone waiting for a match, and that they'd schedule the fight for that afternoon. Finding himself with a few hours to kill, Jack headed back to his room and knocked on the door to Nova and Razgriz's room. Nova opened the door moments later.

"Morning Jack," Nova said before stretching out some.

"Morning Nova, Razgriz," Jack replied. "My next fight is at three o'clock this afternoon, so I was going to go get some fresh air and exercise outside the city. Either of you want to join me?"

"Sure, we could use some training. I would assume a city like this has a place where Pokémon can train?" Razgriz asked as he walked through the doorway into the main room.

Jack shrugged. "Probably, although we'll probably have to pay to use the equipment…"

"Equipment?" Razgriz questioned, "I was thinking like an open field…"

Jack blinked. "Oh. Well yes, I'm sure they have one of those too. And if not, I'm sure we could find a spot ten minutes or so outside the city."

"Either works for us," Nova responded as she closed the door to their room behind her.

"Considering what 'training' will likely look like with the three of us," Jack commented as he headed for the door out into the hallway, "I think it'd be better to find someplace outside the city."

"Fair enough," Razgriz said with a shrug.

Halfway down the hallway Jack suddenly stopped and turned back to Nova and Razgriz. "Wait, why are we walking? Two of us can teleport…"

"Because people are around and we want to keep a low profile… I mean, people here would probably run in terror from me and well… what happens to you?" Razgriz mused, thinking back to the terrible things Alpha forced him to do.

Jack blinked. "Okay, good point… never mind then."

He kept walking, wondering why he had such a hard time thinking that through. Maybe he was just tired. Oh well. The three of them continued to walk, heading out of the hotel and then making their way towards the edge of the city. As they walked, the Pokémon they passed tended to look over in Razgriz's direction, eyeing the seemingly normal Lucario cautiously.

Eventually, they made it out of the city and started looking around for a suitable place to do some training. Nova also dropped the illusion around herself and Razgriz as it was no longer needed. After a while of looking, they came across a grassy hill with trees dotted around.

"This look about right?" Jack asked.

"Looks good enough for us," Nova replied, also taking in the beauty of the landscape and happy to be out of the city.

Jack took a deep breath and sighed. "Yeah, I agree."

He headed over to the tree and walked up it, using aura to keep his feet glued to the vertical trunk. He then sat on one of the top branches and started to meditate; closing his eyes and expanding his auric vision so he could sense everything around him.

Nova and Razgriz had spent the morning meditating before Jack knocked on their door, so they didn't feel the need to meditate again and instead decided to spar. It was fairly easy to find an open area given the trees were not too dense.

"It has been a while since we have spared hasn't it?" Razgriz asked as he stretched out some.

"Well, if you take out our fight back at Alpha's base, it certainly has. By the way, you lost that one," Nova said with a smirk.

"Then again," Jack commented from the tree, "You did have help that time."

"You had your own mysterious help as well bub," Nova shot back over her shoulder as she stretched as well.

Jack rolled his eyes. "That's who I meant."

Razgriz just shook his head as he tried to clear his mind, still preferring not to think about that time. The memories were still rather painful for him.

"Anyways, I believe we were going to spar, not stand around and talk," he interjected before widening his stance some.

Nova simply rolled her eyes and widened her stance as well, opening and closing her paws a few times. She then exhaled as blue aura gathered around her paws. Razgriz made the first move, using Quick Attack to close the distance between then in a blink of an eye. Nova was properly braced for the attack and deflected Razgriz's lunging arm. Knowing what was coming next, she ducked just in time to avoid the following kick before sweeping out with her right leg, but the counter failed to connect as Razgriz jumped backwards.

Nova focused the aura around her paws into a sphere before launching it at Razgriz. The Aura Sphere shot towards the white Lucario and Nova smirked knowing her aim was on point but wasn't prepared for what followed. As Razgriz looked up upon landing and saw the sphere of blue energy speeding towards him, he simply reached out with one of his paws and caught it. He smirked as he saw Nova's grin die down. He infused his own aura into the sphere, giving it a purplish hue before throwing it towards Nova.

She quickly rolled out of the way of the attack expecting to see it wizz past where she had been moments before. Instead she saw it impact the ground where he had been, exploding and sending dirt flying in every direction. Nova brought her arms up to shield her eyes, by the time she lowered them Razgriz had already made and launched another Aura Sphere. Nova didn't have anytime to react as the attack hit her square in the chest and launched her backwards. After having rolled on the ground for a small distance, Nova went to get up but quickly found herself pinned down as Razgriz stood over her, using Bone Rush to hold her down.

"You did last longer that time," Razgriz stated with a satisfied smirk.

"I swear you use these training sessions just to beat me up sometimes," Nova countered and stood up as the auric staff that was holding her down dissolved into the air. "Plus, I just remembered one of your lessons."

"And what would that be?" Razgriz asked inquisitively.

"Never let your guard down," Nova replied with a certain amount of smugness in her voice.

Razgriz had just enough time to look over his shoulder to see a yellow-white sphere slam into him. Nova smirked as the Focus Blast knocked Razgriz to the ground. She sprinted forward as he was still recovering intent on following up her surprise attack. The white Lucario had just managed to get to his feet when Nova hit him with a quick series of Night Slashes, her claws glowing blue with energy. Razgriz took a few of the hits before he countered, thrusting his right arm forward with a Force Palm. Nova didn't see the attack until it was too late and she caught it on the chest, sending her flying backwards. She came to a halt when her head hit a tree.

"Ugh… was that really necessary?" Nova groaned out.

"You were the one who attacked after the round was over," Razgriz countered as he walked over.

"All is fair in love and war," Nova replied as she decided that sitting against the tree was probably in her best interest at the moment.

"True… I guess you are capable of learning after all," Razgriz said with a smirk.

"Hey!" Nova interjected before mumbling, "You're lucky I love you…"

"One more round," Razgriz stated as he held out a paw and helped Nova up.

"Must you beat up on me more?" Nova asked as she took his paw.

"Not for your sake, Jack let his guard down," Razgriz pointed out, nodding his head in the direction of the human who had been paying close attention up till this point. Nova saw what the white Lucario was insinuating and smirked.

The two of them went back to their starting positions before beginning another round of sparring. They started off as they had in the past with a few quick jabs at each other before Nova dodged and just happened to come to a stop so that she was between Razgriz and Jack as the former was charging up a rather large Aura Sphere. Nova easily dodged that attack, but it continued on its path straight for Jack.

Fortunately, while Jack did have his eyes closed, he was still meditating; which meant that the bright flashes of aura which Nova and Razgriz were spewing everywhere were pretty much the only thing Jack could focus on. Seeing one heading straight for him, Jack quickly teleported behind Razgriz just as the Aura Sphere hit the tree.

"Just making sure you were paying attention," Razgriz said as he didn't think Jack would be that oblivious.

"Of course," Jack said, smirking wryly. "You two are way more interesting than anything else in these woods."

"Let's hope Katia didn't hear you say that," Nova smirked as she glanced towards Jack's backpack.

Jack glanced back at it too, and quelled a sudden urge to say a few famous last words. "Yeah… anyway, are you two all sparred out now?"

"Well, I could go a few more rounds, but I doubt Nova would be willing to," Razgriz replied as he glanced over at Nova, who just glared back. "Yeah no… she is done."

Jack chuckled. "Alright then. Well, in that case how's about a quick jog back to the city? Last one there pays for lunch."

Nova and Razgriz looked at each other, one of Nova's ear falling to the side.

"How much money do you think two wild Pokémon carry on them?" Nova asked as she turned to face Jack.

Jack snorted. "Kidding. I'm still gonna beat you there though; and no teleporting."

"Where are we eating?" Nova inquired as she turned in the direction of the city.

"Not sure," Jack said with a shrug. "Somewhere cheap probably."

"So… we are racing but only you know where the finish line is?" Razgriz pointed out as he crossed his arms underneath his chest spike.

Jack raised an eyebrow. "Well, there's not much point in racing after we get back inside the city now is there. The finish line is the edge of the forest."

"Well, I could still race through the city," Nova pointed out, but knew that Jack was right. With them trying to maintain a low profile and all that. "Also, not really sure if it is going to be much of a race… Razgriz and I are fast, but you're just ridiculous."

Jack rolled his eyes. "Well, I still want a workout so I'll meet you there."

With that, he took off towards the city. Razgriz rolled his eyes before smiling.

"He almost has as much energy as you used to," Razgriz said before looking over at Nova.

"Used to?" Nova replied with mock indignation. "Well, guess I will just have to beat him then."

With that said, Nova dropped on all fours before starting after Jack. Nova was quite fast when she ran on all four of her legs. Faster than Razgriz could ever hope to run. He closed his eyes and projected his aura out over the surrounding land, finding both Nova and Jack. Guessing where they would end up near the city, he opened a portal there and decided to wait for them to arrive.

Jack soon realized that Nova was chasing after him. He chuckled, letting her catch up to him and then keeping pace with her so they were neck-and-neck. He wasn't too surprised to find that he didn't have to slow down much before Nova started gaining on him.

It didn't take them long to get within sight of the city. Nova had quite a bit of experience in long distance running given that she and Razgriz had pretty much walked across Saldara. While they they didn't sprint too often, they did do a fair share of jogging. That and just training in the mountains in general gave her good stamina when it came to running. Though she knew she was approaching her limit while she doubted Jack was.

" _You're going easy on me,"_ Nova said telepathically, not wanting to mess with her breathing.

Jack smiled. " _I thought we said it wasn't a race. It's not as much fun to run alone, that's all."_

" _I suppose you are correct, though most people don't find it fun to run at all,_ " Nova replied with some amount of amusement in her voice.

" _Fair enough, fair enough,"_ Jack admitted. " _So I'm boring you, is that what you're saying?"_

" _You're in the top ten most boring humans I know,"_ Nova countered smugly.

Jack couldn't help chuckling at that. " _In that case, I'd love to meet the other nine."_

" _You already met three of them,"_ Nova responded.

Jack was silent for a moment. " _You don't know very many humans, do you."_

" _Took you long enough to figure that out,"_ Nova nearly tripped as she started laughing and only barely managed to regain her footing as she ran.

Jack rolled his eyes. " _Oh hardy har har. Excuse me while I get back to running."_

With that, his body crackled with electricity and he took off like a bullet from a gun leaving Nova in his dust. A few seconds later he shot past Razgriz before skidding to a halt. He then turned around and smiled wryly.

"That was a good run," he commented.

"If you say so, though I figured you would be here sooner," Razgriz said from his position leaning against a tree.

Jack stretched a little as he waited for Nova. "Well, I don't want to push myself right before a fight."

"Fair enough, though a little birdy told me that you're a boring person now," Razgriz replied with a noticeable smirk on his muzzle.

"A little birdy, or a little foxie?" Jack mused

"Hey, I am not little any more," Nova protested as she finally arrived.

Jack glanced over at Razgriz, then on a whim he walked over to Nova and stood back to back against her.

"Okay," he asked Razgriz. "Who's taller?"

"Nova clearly is," Razgriz declared in an even tone.

"What?" Jack exclaimed in confusion, turning around. He was confronted with a Nova that was standing several inches taller than him. She was also sticking her tongue out at the human. Jack snorted quietly, then poked the large fox right in her belly; his hand passing through Nova's illusion and booping her on the snout. The illusion faded away, revealing the shorter than average Zoroark still sticking out her tongue.

Jack chuckled. "That's better. Now then, how's about we go find something for lunch."

"Sounds like a good plan to me," Nova agreed wholeheartedly.

* * *

Jack took a deep breath as he stood in the hallway outside the arena, waiting for the fight to start. After his first match, he was feeling quite a bit more nervous about the opponent he was going to face next. Snake hadn't had nearly as much information about this one as, like Jack himself, this next contestant was relatively new.

Eventually, he was called into the arena. He cracked his neck and steeled his nerves, stepping forward into the open space. Glancing up at the spectators box, he easily spotted Nova and Razgriz; as well as Katia, who had insisted on watching as well this time.

Jack's gaze then drifted to the other side of the arena, where his opponent was just walking out of the hallway on the other side. The strong steel doors then swung shut behind them. Jack examined the other person as closely as he could from that distance, viewing them with a healthy amount of caution.

It was a boy, at least he was pretty sure. The figure was about the same height as him, with a ragged shock of hair which was almost as messy as Jack's; except theirs was a bright shade of fiery orange/red. Somehow, Jack was struck with sudden deja vu; as if he'd faced off against this strange person before.

The figure was wearing what looked suspiciously like something out of some cartoon about ninjas. It was complete with a mask carved and painted to resemble a stylized fox's face; hence Jack's uncertainty as to whether it was a boy or girl. Overall, the outfit's black and red colour scheme seemed designed to accent its wearer's flaming red hair. Jack also found it vaguely reminiscent of his own robes, insofar as it resembled a martial arts uniform.

Having learned his lesson after his first match, Jack then took a quick glance at the figure's aura. He furrowed his brow as his suspicions were confirmed. Whoever his opponent was, their aura was far stronger than any normal human's should be, and once again Jack was struck with a strange sense that he'd met this person somewhere before. Their aura felt strangely familiar, but at the same time different from anything he'd ever sensed before. It almost felt like there was something… _wrong_ about it.

Jack shook those thoughts out of his head. Whoever it was, and whether or not he'd met them somewhere before, it looked as though this fight would be every bit as tricky as his first. He'd have to keep on his toes.

He settled into a fighting stance, watching as his opponent did the same. At the sound of the bell, they both started circling each other slowly. Jack watched the other boy carefully, keeping track of his movements to try and anticipate when he'd attack. It almost worked. Jack saw the first two strikes coming easily, a right jab and a left hook, and blocked them without too much trouble. He then responded with a couple right jabs of his own which were similarly ineffective. For now, both of them were just sizing each other up; trying to get a feel for each other's strength and speed.

After a few exchanges like these, Jack had started to get a feel for his opponent; and he was sure it was mutual. The other boy was right-handed, and always opened with either a right jab or hook. As such, when he saw his opponent tensing up for another attack from the right he automatically moved his own arm to deflect it harmlessly aside. However, the expected blow never came. Instead, Jack felt rather than saw his opponent's left fist slam into his jaw.

Jack's vision went blurry for a moment, his eyes unfocusing slightly from the force of the blow. He'd been flung backwards like a ragdoll, and he hit the ground hard before rolling a few feet along the ground.

As Jack came to rest on the ground, despite still not being able to see clearly, he quickly rolled a few more feet to avoid the attack he knew was coming. His instincts proved accurate, as he heard a powerful blow land right where he had been a moment ago.

Rolling back to his feet, Jack managed to refocus his vision just in time to see that his opponent was turning to re-engage him. In a move straight out of a video game, the red-headed fighter leapt into the air above Jack and spun once to gain momentum before whipping his leg down in a vicious hammer kick.

Jack saw the attack coming and blocked it with one arm, but then his opponent used his own momentum to flip himself behind Jack almost faster than he could see. Jack was tempted to try and turn around, but suddenly he realized what his opponent was doing. Almost reflexively, he leapt straight up into the air.

Jack flipped upside down in midair, looking down at his opponent. He was somehow not surprised to see that he'd been right. The red-head was just recovering from executing a low, sweeping spin kick which would have probably knocked Jack's legs clean out from under him. Jack furrowed his brow as he realised why he'd seen it coming so easily.

Maylene had taught him that exact same maneuver.

Jack landed directly behind his opponent, and almost without thinking he tried the same move. A low, sweeping kick. His wasn't the least bit surprised when the red-head dodged it in the exact same way Jack had. The only difference was that Jack was ready for it. As his opponent was about to land behind him, Jack suddenly reversed his kick and, doing a brief handstand, lashed out behind him with both his legs.

The surprise counter-attack caught the red-head by surprise, and sent him flying backwards. He hit the ground and rolled a few times before getting his bearings and flipping back onto his feet. A quick glance with aura vision told Jack that his opponent had used aura to reinforce his stomach just before impact, drastically decreasing the damage he took.

The masked boy barely hesitated before going on the offensive again, quickly closing the distance between them and unleashing a barrage of rapid blows. Jack, knowing he couldn't let himself get forced into a corner, matched his opponent stroke for stroke without losing any ground. Neither of them seemed able to land any decisive blows against the other however.

As they traded blows, Jack watched his opponent's movements very carefully. It didn't take long before he'd all but confirmed his suspicions. The red-haired boy's fighting style was remarkably similar to his own, but not identical. That wasn't surprising however, considering Jack's fighting style had changed a lot in the past few months alone. What it was almost identical to, was Maylene's techniques. Whoever this person was, he'd been trained by the Veilstone City gym leader. Fairly recently too.

Knowing that, and knowing his opponent might well have realized the similarities in their fighting style by now as well, he knew he had to kick it up a notch. Remembering the lightning-fast blow his opponent had landed earlier, Jack waited for the perfect moment. They traded blow after blow, eventually starting to settle into a rhythm. Now that he knew his opponent's fighting style, it didn't take long before he spotted an opening. Charging his left arm with aura, he feigned right before switching to deliver a devastating open-palmed blow from the left; moving just fast enough to pass clean through his opponent's guard.

Jack grinned in satisfaction as he felt the blow connect, and saw his opponent launched backward like a shot from a cannon. The masked figure flew so far and so high he actually hit the far wall of the arena, putting a small crater in the stone. Jack's grin faded quickly however as he saw that the red-headed ninja had actually landed feet-first, and was now _standing_ on the wall using the same technique Jack used to walk up trees.

Then the figure spoke.

"Good grief, that one really packed a punch. Looks like you're finally fighting for real. In that case, I guess I'll have to go all out," said a distinctly male voice from behind the mask. Jack furrowed his brow. He _knew_ that voice from somewhere. But where...

His opponent then stood up on the wall, and Jack took and involuntary step backwards as he felt a surge of energy from the masked figure. It felt so familiar, almost like…

Almost like his own.

The figure chuckled, holding out his right hand as a spark crackled into being in his palm. A moment later, the figure's entire arm was wreathed in red-hot flames.

"I hope you're ready. This is the day I finally beat you, Jack," the figure said, a familiar note of excitement in his tone. Realization hit Jack like a tidal wave.

"N… Nicholas?"


End file.
